FIFA will dedicate the FIFA Confederations Cup 2005 semi-final between Mexico and Argentina in Hanover on 26 June to the memory of the deceased Cameroon international Marc-Vivien Foé. It will be two years to the day since Foé, who was 28 at the time, tragically collapsed in the 72nd minute of the FIFA Confederations Cup semi-final between Cameroon and Colombia in France before passing away shortly afterwards.

At the request of FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter and the chairman of the Organising Committee for the FIFA Confederations Cup, Chuck Blazer, FIFA has decided to dedicate this match to Marc-Vivien Foé and his family. "The FIFA Confederations Cup will always remind the entire football family of Marc-Vivien Foé. He will forever be linked to this event. The match in Hanover on 26 June, the second anniversary of his passing, will therefore pay tribute to a wonderful human being and footballer," explained the President.

After the tragic death of Marc-Vivien Foé, FIFA set up a foundation with CHF 1 million to help finance the education of his children. "As the chairman of the Organising Committee for the FIFA Confederations Cup, I am pleased that FIFA took this step to secure the future of Marc-Vivien Foé's children. It is an expression of the solidarity that exists in the international football family," said Mr Blazer.

Marc-Vivien Foé failed to recover from sudden cardiac arrest on 26 June 2003, which was caused by a genetic defect in the formation and function of his heart muscles. During his career, Foé played in Cameroon (Canon Yaoundé), France (RC Lens and Olympique Lyonnais) and England (West Ham United and Manchester City). He represented his country on 64 occasions, scoring eight goals, and also played for Cameroon in two FIFA World Cup™ final competitions (USA '94 and Korea/Japan '02).

FIFA Communications Division
Frankfurt/Zurich, 23 June 2005