Myles Thornton hosted the NOLUT team of former Lion Phil Coleman, and Ted Robinson with guest panelist Millwall Romans and Pride General Manager Paul Loding.
The show reflected upon Matija Sarkic, his passing, the world mourning him and what goes on in minimising the risks to players concerning heart problems and beyond.
The show reflected upon Matija Sarkic, his passing, the world mourning him and what goes on in minimising the risks to players concerning heart problems and beyond.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
Hi, Bethany Mantalo. Here youhave joined us for the magnificent monthly Millwell
Podcast, which features thoughts from thepanel about what affects the beautiful game and
Millwell Enjoy. Hello everyone and welcomeso the No One Likes Us Talking special
remembering Matitia sarks I'm your host MarsThornton and with me I the No One
(00:23):
Likes as talking team of former LionPhil Coleman Ted Robinson plus a guest panelist
today who was meant to have twoguests but Jackie Lawson of the Blue Anchor
Pub in the Blue Burwnsey. I'mthoughtunately couldn't make it tonight, but we
do thank her for making making theefforts to try and come on. And
also Paul Loading, the general managerof mill Romans and Pride. Welcome Paul,
(00:43):
Phil and Tim. It was asad story for both Milwell and Montenegro
on Saturday the fifteenth June when newsarrived from Europe surrounding the passing of our
goalkeeper Letitia Sarkets. We broadcasted MaritimeRadio that day. Here are two clips
from that broadcast from former chairman JeffBurnage and former millwaukeeper branking I have with
(01:04):
me Jeff Burnish, former Millwall chairman, who's going to say a few words.
Well, the Millwall family woke upearly this morning to this terrible news
that our goalkeeper Mattia Sarkich had passedaway suddenly. In common with all the
contributors to no one likes us talking. I would just wish to send my
(01:27):
sincere condonencies to his family. Ibelieve his father, Bojan, is the
Montenegro ambassador to the European Union andpreviously the ambassador to the United Kingdom.
He was born in England Mattia toBoyer and his mother Natalie, and he
had a twin brother, Oliver.I believe this news brings back the tragic
(01:49):
thoughts we had last summer at thesudden passing of our chairman, John Belton.
I've been looking forward to a longmilwalker for Mattia Sarkitch, but very
sadly our last footage and memory ofhim will be walking around the den at
our end of season lap of honor. Once more. My heart thought condolences
(02:13):
to Mattia's family that they must nowbe allowed to grieve in private. Thank
you Jeff, and they're going tohand over to Brian King, the legendary
Milwell goalkeeper from the sixties and seventieswho will holds the club's recle goalkeeper appearances.
Brian can only readily rate on whatJeff Bernid had just said and yourself,
(02:34):
how shocked we were to learn thetragic passing of Mattia. Such a
nice, nice fella and he lookedto me as though he was going to
be the future of Millwall for thenext three or four years, that's for
sure. And now I first encounteredhim at asked the villa when I was
working there, and thoroughly nice boy, polite, old school in everything he'd
done. And as Jeff said,I can pass on my condolences to his
(03:00):
father and his mother and the familyand to people at Montenegro and people at
Millwall because he was a cherished memberof the Milwall family and would have been
for the for the next few years. Rest in peace. Thank you right
well, Thank you to Brian andto Jeff Burnish for those thoughts. And
(03:22):
firstly I'd like to talk to youabout Burmonsey Town Football Club, who are
a local non league side, andI am the head of media and Communications
at the club and My role alsois to market for the club, the
marketing and we've recently launched a newproposition for Millwall fans. All Millwall season
(03:42):
ticket holders and membership card holders willget half price entry to our home games
from next season. So please doIf Millwall are away or we're not playing,
please do come down and support BernseyTown because we really could do with
your support. We've played at SaintPaul Sports Ground in Rotherhive. I'm your
host, Moss Thornton and with meI have the Noe Likes as talking team
of Phil Coleman and Ted Robinson,plus a special guest of Paul Loadin,
(04:05):
the general manager of mill All Romansand pride In sure to get down to
Cemprale Sports Grown where mill was notplaying or away. In Montenegro that morning,
the Vijesti reported the goalkeeper of thefootball team of Montenegro, Matitia Sarkch
died this morning in Budvah at theage of twenty six. As for Jesty,
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learned he fell ill in the apartmentwhere he was staying, after which
he sadly passed away. Just afew days prior, Matitia Sarkic impressed the
public with his saves in a friendlymatch with Belgium in Brussels. After that
he made mister game against Georgia toattend his brother's wedding his twin brother in
Oliver's wedding which unfortunately five days laterhe passed away. He was born in
(04:53):
nineteen ninety seven in Grimsby. Hestarted his career in the younger categories of
Andelecht and in twenty fifteen he movedto the younger categories of categories of aston
Villa. That's when his career onthe island of Britain became began. After
aston Villa, Sarkis played for Wigan, Stratford, Livingston, Wolverhampton, Shrewsbury,
(05:15):
Birmingham Stoke and eventually Millwall. Hearrived at Millwall in August last year.
He played thirty three games and intwelve he did not concede a goal
and he was one of the bestplayers the Lions. For the Lions this
season as Millwell's first goalkeeper, hegained a lot of sympathy with his games,
both from the club and the fans. He went through the junior representative
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selection of the football team of Montenegroand he made his debut for the A
team against Belarus in a friendly match. In twenty nineteen. He played nine
games for the Brave Falcons and excelledin the last one against Belgium. His
twin brother Oliver played for Detych inthe previous season and was among the most
(05:58):
deserving of the club's player title fromTUESSI, what you just heard there is
a translation of the Montenegram word restin peace Matitia Sharkic, Phil, How
did this affect you when you heardabout Matitia Sarkic misspassing and did you have
an abiding memory of Matty? Iwould imagine like everybody else, I was
(06:20):
genuinely shocked and gutted, and Ialso felt not again. But for me,
it's the whole circumstance and the wholepackage that surrounds his passing. That's
so sad and just so wrong.He's only twenty six, fit athletic,
a professional sportsman. He's just becomeour number one goalkeeper and he started to
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flourish, particularly at the end ofthe season. At Montenegro International. He
was captain man of the match againstBelgium in his live game, and I've
watched the highlights and he pulled offsome great sapes across the whole game,
and then he was best man athis twin brothers wedding and then suddenly we
lose him. So that circumstance isjust gut rinting and with so much still
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to offer, I mean his parentsand brother family. He must be so
proud of him, that those lovedones must be so proud of him,
but they've also they're also going tobe in bits over losing him, as
all his teammates and if you've everbeen in the change room, I wouldn't
call it clicks, but you dohave your close friends and they will suffer.
It'll hit them hard and it willtake time, particularly those that were
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close to him and probably socialized withhim. And from my experience, I
can remember losing John Lyons, itactually brought the team together. It brought
us closer together. We stuck together, we got a head down and we
trained harder, and we kept talkingabout it, and we still talk about
him now when we get together.I'm sure the first game for the season
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now confirmed against Watford, I'm surethat game is going to be for him,
and in that change room and inhis loved ones and fans, it'll
always be in hearts and memories.But for me, the circumstances, the
whole package of recent events. It'snot like twenty six year old fit the
young le with so much. AndI only met him once. I saw
him in the car park before agame and he was smiling walking along.
(08:11):
He had time for everybody, allthe kids. He only said a load
to me and he carried on walkingwith that smile on his face, looking
very confident. And everybody has alreadymentioned about his dedication and work effort to
being a footballer and a goalkeeper,and as king he said, I'm sure
he would have been our best goalkeeperfor a long time. So again my
thoughts go out to his left onesand his teammates. Paul, I understand
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you met Matty at the end ofseason awards. How did you? How
did you find him? Yeah?I was really lucky to attend the end
of season awards and we obviously you'rein a situation with all these players that
you've been watching all season, andvery close up, and it was quite
random. Our eyes sort of met. We was at different tables and he
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looked over at me. I lookedat him. He gave me a big
smile, a couple of moments later, he walked past behind my chair and
just just tapped me on the shoulder. He put he put his hands off
the shoulder and just gave me aquick tap, just to sort of a
say hello. And I just thoughtit was a really really nice moment.
I don't think we knew who Iwas, but we obviously locked eyes with
each other. But as Phil justsaid, I just think it's it's it's
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just so sad, such a sucha young player, you know, twenty
six years old, having such asuch a future ahead of him, and
to die so suddenly, it's justsuch a such a tragic, such a
tragic time. But yeah, itwas a nice, nice moment just to
have that with him. The millRomans played Chilton and the Addicts on Sunday
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the sixteenth. What was the atmospherelike a simple wasn't did you do an
if he's special? I don't knowif he did. Yeah, we obviously
we had a game on the sixteenth, and because it's so close to home,
and as soon as we saw eachother, we'd all discussed it and
to be fair to and they alsoagreed, we held a minute silence before
it was the Cup final day andto be fair, I say, to
(10:07):
be fair to Chart and they Ithink they were quite shocked as well.
It was such a such a youngplayer dying. But yeah, we wanted
to sort of mark mark his passingand it felt right to have just a
minute silence on that day just tocelebrate his life. Really, that's lovely,
that's lovely. Ted. Do youthink we'll have the same challenges as
(10:31):
when John Barrelston passed away regarding andfinding it difficult to move forward? Yeah,
that goes me and I thinks,you know, different sort of situations
with the people concerned, if youknow what I mean, young mess he's
in front of him, and Idon't think John would have been upset if
(10:54):
hearing me say, is that twentysix is no age in this boy in
my opinion, as Field has alreadysaid about, if you'll see how he
played in that Belgium game, howhe played in the last few games of
the season, and the lasting memoryI have is that save against Southampton that
kicked us off for Neil when hecame back that won us the game.
(11:16):
I was saying to our friends,and this is no I was saying,
so that we've got a key breerthat is going to be a top class
keeper. He was for his age. He was just improving and improving in
every game and becoming more commanding moreand you can see that he fitted in
with a squad. That's how itmust be so difficult for them. But
(11:39):
what I always think of in thesesituations, like I did when John passed
away, and you have to thinkto yourself, I do anyway, how
would he have wanted us to goon from here? And I'm sure that
he, like John, would wantto be successful, would want us to
put our best foot forward from herein memory of them, in honor of
them, give them something to beproud of. It is fitting. As
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Phil said that our first game ofthis season is going to be at home
wat Fernand I don't think there's anydoubt in my mind that that is going
to be a day of remembrance toMatty. Every Millwall fan i'm sure will
want to be in the ground toshow and pass their respects to who was
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it the young lad who has takenfar too early from us. But as
I say, I know Neil's goingto have a difficult job in finding someone
to Philly's boots for the first game, we have to go out and get
a goalkeeper from somewhere, but hopefullythey get the right character to come in.
I know all the guys that arethere, that was there with Matty
(12:48):
from last season are going to uptheir game even to a stronger level on
that first game of the season becauseof what has happened to Matty. It
goes without saying that again. Ipassed all my respects onto Matty's family and
everyone else concerned with me, includingthe lads, the mill boys, because
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when you work with someone day inday out, you tend to finish up
taking them a little bit for grantedin a sense that they're there and they're
always there. It's only when thatfirst day you turn up and there's that
smile isn't there anymore? It's notaround you and a likable lad like Mattie.
I had the pleasure at the samerewards as Paul was speaking to me,
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and he was such a nice guy, a nice guy, and you
just knew that I could see thefeelings that the other boys, the middle
lads add for him. He waswithout a doubt and over use the word
Millwell family a lot, but Iwas a family and it felt like a
(13:54):
family member had gone to myself becauseit was just such a nice guy.
So hopefully you know it's going tobe a challenge to move on. You're
never going to forget the guy,of course we ain't. You're never going
to forget John. He'll always bea memory of these people. But in
some ways we owe it to themto carry on and do the sort of
(14:18):
things that they would have wanted Millwallto do, and we do it in
their honor. That's why, Yeah, I agree with all that he'll be
a tough act to replace, leavinga big hole in a squad. We'll
take a break there and listen toour sponsor and great friend of the show,
Dean Watson and Dean Males from Itand your Your funeral directors are famed
(14:43):
for caring for Millill families. Whereare you located and how far afield if
you travel to accommodate the needs footof families. Well, we've got three
branches, the main ones in Eltonin Welhall Road and we've got another one
in locks Bottom which is near Orpingtonmill Fans around us. We cover all
areas and we do travel for families. We had the lady very recently that
(15:03):
passed away up north, but itwas always to come back to South London
for a funeral, so that's whatwe did. We went out to Sheffield
and we brought it back. Wequite often carry out funerals and me all
families all over South London and Kentright down to the South coast. Dean
Wilson, Independent Family Funeral Directors,Karen for Mill will families no matter how
(15:24):
near or far, should you needthem at any time, bring two eight
three to three one one one oneone. That's eight three three one one
one one one. I'm your host, Miles Thornton and with me the No
One likes his talking team of PhilColeman and Ted Robertson, plus a guest
(15:46):
panelist of Pauloading, the general managerof Rown Mill, Romans and Pride.
Thanks very much to Dean Wilson forsponsoring this special show. Verjesse also reported
as the Euros went into its groupstage, the mature departure of Matsha Sarkich
made the whole football world cry.However, apart from the great athletes of
(16:06):
Slovenia, no one else paid theirrespects to the young Montenegrant goalkeeper during the
European Championships in Germany. Iding Idrizovich, former European champion in modern dance,
decided precisely at Euro twenty twenty fourto thank Matischa in his own way for
everything he did for Montenegro. Abanner with a photo of our goalkeeper was
(16:29):
displayed from the stands of the AliantArena during the match between Denmark and Serbia.
Edin wrote on Instagram, in memoryof our Matitia sarkch I had decided
to make a banner in his honorfor the match of the European Championship in
Munich and thus remind the organizers thata minute silence was something they should have
(16:49):
done for our Maticia to remember allplayers and national teams that they should have
paid tribute to a young man anathlete. Phil studies suggest that the incidents
of cardiac arrest, namely arythia's heartfailure, heart failure and heart attacks increases
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during many major sporting events, especiallysports like football. What's the Football Association
and the Professional Footballers Association and positioningon mental monitoring players health? It's actually
quite good Miles. Until recently,I know that the FA test all young
(17:33):
sixteen year olds on entry to thePro Game. It's actually mandatory where it
was. The tests include physical teststhat you'd imagine, but ECGs and echo
cardiagrams, and more recently they've nowmade it recommended. I'd like to see
it as mandatory that players have tohave those tests again at eighteen twenty and
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twenty five. However, I doknow that a good few years ago they
tested eleven thousand players over a twentyyear period, and unfortunately, eight still
died out of that number from undiagnosedheart issues. They call it sudden cardiac
arrest or cardio myopathy, which Iknow quite a bit about it because I've
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lectured it to the students in mycollege, and cardi on wimpathy is an
abnormality of the heart muscle and despiteECG's and echo cardigrams you can still not
find it. So sadly there waseight out of eleven thousand in those tests,
which then made the FA recommend thatthese tests are carried out again at
eighteen twenty twenty five. And Iknow my son he had to go to
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London for tests when he came intothe Pro Game when he was at Culture
United, and he went through aheck of a lot of tests and I
also picked up on it because apet to many years ago she lost her
sixteen year old son after a hockeymatch and the charity cry Cardiac Risk Young
People that evolved from that and Iactually used to fund from my budget when
(19:06):
I was a head of PE.I used to get kry to come in
and they come up from I thinkit's the Royal Free Hospital in London and
we get some top surgeons and theirstaff and they would come into the school
and I put it out to overfifteen's up to the college under eighteens and
their parents who would like a heartscanon two occasions three years apart, and
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about four hundred students have this testand some five one year we found that
they needed minor heart treatments. Onein particular stands out if youre going to
scuba diving, I think it wouldkill him if he hadn't had this part
test. So unfortately, as ineducation budgets, I couldn't fund it ongoing,
so I had to stop it.But I would imagine that in professional
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sport it is now an absolute muster. We've had too many incidents with social
media and the world is very smallwith the TV and media these experiences Marcus
Errikson, et cetera. But Ithink the FARE moved in the right direction.
Mandatory testing at sixteen, more testingat eighteen, twenty and twenty five
that sadly there are even after thosetests and diagnosed heart problems which sadly account
(20:15):
for a few. I'm not sureexactly what the situation was with Mattie Selkicch,
but from what I do know,the FA and the PFA or the
right lens in making sure that theytest these young players. Paul, you
still play an amateur level. Whatdo you what do you think about the
position regarding health monitoring professional game.I think as Fields just touched on there.
(20:37):
I think I think that's that's that'sreally good. They're doing the ECGs
at eighteen twenty twenty five. Youknow, football's you know, even at
our level, you always want toyou always want to push yourself as much
as you can. You always wantto run a bit quicker, You always
want to be a bit stronger,play better because you are playing for a
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team. At the end of theday. You know, if you don't,
if I don't get there, thenit could have fit the whole team,
and I think you're always always pushingyourself to to be that better player.
So I think it's it's it's sadthat that that even after all the
tests, that still players are arepassing away. But I think I think
that's that's a that's a really goodthing to that the f A are taking
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it seriously and are doing, uhdoing these e cgs at those ages.
But for younger players, and yeah, I think I think I would it
would it help even something doing somethingin the in the amateur game as well
as I say, you're always tryingto push yourself as a player, even
even at my age. Yeah,I do know. Is is it semi
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pro level when you're trying to becomean affiliated club with the f A in
England football? You have to haveat least one person who's trained in that
way to help me think like thathappens. Can I just say, I
totally agree that it never struck me. But we've got tens of thousands of
non league players who are played insome cases a lot of money in the
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National League and National League South atNorth and the Ishanian Premier and I'd recommend
that they all get tested because Iwas coaching a National League South team and
I never saw any hearts gans injust over a year I was there.
So yeah, that's a fantastic ideathat it should be mandatory as well in
non league. You're right, it'sthe same people, it's the same players,
(22:32):
it's the same heart, you know, and you know, if it
saves lives, that's what we shouldbe able to do. Yeah, No,
absolutely, absolutely, Ted. TheEngland team is sporting titanium health rings
as the team progressed through the groupstage of Euro twenty twenty four. The
FA is believed to have paid twelvethousand pounds to equip both playing staff and
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support staff, and Gara Southgate hasbeen sporting one two. It monitors everything
from sleep quality to stress levels andheart health. It's too late for Mattie
and many other young athletes who who'velost their lives. But is it an
excellent way to go as technology continuesto become an essential and fantastic game.
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Not if it makes them play likethe England team. No, I've been
wondering why they've been so rubbish andnow it could well be these to ta
No. Look, I mean toecho a little bit what Paul was saying,
and certainly what Field was saying thereyou cannot any sort of medical advances
(23:40):
that are made that could be broughtinto sport to check the health of people
have to be there. I mean, I remember a few years ago when
we used to do the Old LinesLive show from the Den and that we
had a young lad called Tobiella beComing who suffered a heart thing on the
football pitch and he had started upcampaigning. He was only nineteen, I
(24:02):
think when it happened, but hestarted a campaign about getting the fibulas into
football grounds so that there was onethere in every football ground because at that
time there wasn't. And it seemslike a nonsense to me when you think
about the money that is in footballand around in football, that there should
be any medical advances that are madethat can check the health of these young
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lads and the older ones as well. It should be in there. I
mean need these titanium rings, Ibelieve are like the fit bit things that
you get and whatever they monit yourheart and all that. I mean,
I'm not so sure that I wantto wear something like that on my finger
all day long telling me how I'mabout to get this certainly not while I'm
watching real wall with my army allover the place. So because there's also
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it can bring a sort of senseof anxiety in the people about how healthy
I am. If you're watching yourselfall the time out I mean, your
health and whatever. But if you'rea professional sportsman or footballer out there,
you're putting your body through hell.I mean, you did it, and
(25:14):
I know Paul does it as anamateur. You know, I played so
I was about forty five, andI'll run around like an eighty year old
person at forty five because of theamount of running about I've done. So
you're pushing your body through extremes withwhatever sport you are, with whatever level
you are, to a certain extent. You know. The only thing the
difference with the professionals there is theirjob is what they do. Their body
(25:37):
has to be in as tiptops asit can be for them to put the
best performance out on the pitch.But in doing that and getting your body
there, you're pushing it to itslimits all the time. So, I
mean, look the advance in medicalmedicals within the sport now, I mean,
you know, Phil could tell youwhat it was like in these days,
(25:59):
I'm sure there was. There wasnext to nothing going on, and
if you got injured, they jabbedyou with the needles, they get back
out there and you'll be all rightand elf you win. So there's always
advancements going on every year within sport, but there's some issues that need to
be looked at a little bit deeperand looked at a little bit more regular,
(26:21):
you know, in a sense,I hear what Phil was saying about
the sixteen, eighteen, twenty yearolds and twenty five and whatever. To
me, all that was going throughmy mind. Then that's great, But
why is it not done every year? You know what I mean? It
Perhaps it should be something that I'mpretty sure at the start of the season,
and I'm pretty sure the Millwall boysyesterday when they went back were having
(26:45):
medicals on everything and anything and checkinghow much that they're put on, and
god knows where else and at Yeah, they don't automatically get a hearts game,
which seems a bit strange to mein this day age, when we've
certainly got the medical technology to giveyou a good understanding of how that person's
(27:06):
heart is acting, and if there'sany possibility of that heart maybe not working,
and it's a horrible thing to say, but maybe in some respects with
things like what has happened to matter, it brings it more to the forefront
of everybody's eyes. It gives peopleto sort of kick up the backside.
They need to make sure that theyare doing everything they possibly can to make
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sure these guys that are going outthere week in week out, putting their
bodies on the line and pushing itthrough the extremes that they do are looked
after medically in the best possible way. Ted, I'd totally back that one
as well, because back in theseventies, probably earlier and sixties, if
(27:52):
you broke your leg, you've gota cold sponge down the back of your
neck. If you punching your luveworked. I can go through a broken
leg and I have a cold spungedown in neck and I'm carried off.
I had a punctured lump, brokenribs, I had a cold sponge down
at back in the neck and I'mcuted off on a blue light. There
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wasn't anything we had a trainer were, we didn't even have qualified physiotherapists.
It wasn't until late seventies that Isaw that the club had a doctor there
on match days. So as you'rerightly saying, said the advancements of what
we now provide and pull touched onit when in non league we have a
(28:36):
physio at non league but to myknowledge there's no doctor. And I went
to watch Colchis United under twenty onesversus mill Wonder twenty one. The game
was off an hour late kicking offbecause they didn't have a paramedic on the
in the ground and I'm thinking,this is a pain I'm going to get
over late. But they were right, you should have a paramedic to an
under twenty one game. It's theright thing to do. If we've got
(29:00):
technology, and nowadays we have advancedtechnology, let's use it. Because at
the end of the day was hisname, Marcus Erickson and Tom Lockyer.
Tom Lockyer, they have highlighted theabsolute need for immediate assistance to some of
these players and the crowd as welland players. We can't have players and
(29:25):
fans losing their life going to watcha sport or play a sport. Some
class as assets. So again,if we're going to move forward, it's
not for me to recommend, butI'm going to voice an opinion we should
make sure nominally players are health screenedand heart checked, and we should make
sure that there's an annual test becauseI think, whilst I agree sixteen eighteen
twenty twenty five, there are reasonablyspaced out. Perhaps we should at the
(29:51):
start of every football season every playeris checked and it becomes good best practice,
good practice. The technology has movedthat we have got trackers and I'm
sure we've got heart monitors on someof the kick that the players are wearing.
So we have moved forward from theseventies and eighties when I played.
We have definitely moved forward. It'sfar better and I'm sure more lives have
(30:14):
been saved because of the scans,but one's too many. You can go
further than that field. In actualfact, I mean, I remember saying
I used to coach teams meets ownunder fourteen boys and I've got so panicky
about the fact that, you know, if one of them got injured.
It was down to me that notonly did I do a first aid course,
but I also went on the FA'sphysiotherapy cours for first like first season,
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which was the start of what ifyou wanted to be a physio within
a football it was like the startingthing and what scratching the surface of the
knowledge that you sometimes you might thinkyou need. But you know, there's
lots of young kids football teams outthere where there's nobody with any sort of
even fir stayed training that is runninga team. So if anything was to
(31:03):
happen, there's nobody there to doanything, which is criminal really, And
so you know, all I'm sayingis we always tend to look at the
top end of the pyramid as such, and as you're pointing out for it
quite rightly that it should filter downinto the non league game, which again
is they in the same respects,it should filter all the way through even
(31:26):
to like kids football, you know, even to park football. To a
certain extent, if you've got theresponsibility of running a team, you should
be responsible to have someone there hasgot some sort of medical knowledge, even
if it's just the first data,that they would know what they should have
to do in case there was acertain situation that occurred, you know,
(31:48):
agreed, ed, and you're right, And I watched games under eleventh under
twelves, I talked for thirty threeyears and I did the first aid qualification.
I did the resasage course almost annually. I've used it. I like
to think, I say, withthe life when I was in Finland a
motorcyclist, resuscitation is absolutely vital.Again dropping down, we started off talking
(32:10):
about Matty Cirkets and then Paul's broughtup nonmallygue Will dropped down to one hundred
elevens under twelve and these young kids. We need people on the sidelines that
can resuscitate, that actually have gotgood first aid knowledge. Yeah, you
know, not necessarily for one particularteam, but if a club's got three
or four games on its local park, at least somebody should be there,
somepany should be around, you're right, yeah, just to cover it.
(32:30):
Yeah. So yeah, from Matty'scircus, we've had a good conversation here
and yeah there's there's some Hopefully wehave moved on and lives will be saved
because of what is in place.But it could be could be better,
could be better. He's right,man, There's always going to be natural
progression in things as we go onin life, because you know, everything
becomes that little bit more available inthe sense. I mean, even talking
(32:52):
about the question that Marles asked meto start with about these rings. I
didn't really know about these rings untilI heard of revealing I've always had about
it, and maybe Miles asked aquestion about it. But you know,
if somebody has said to you tenyears ago, you'll be walking around a
thing on your finger that can monitoryour art and how you're sleep and all
(33:12):
that you think that was made.So there's always a huge amounts of advances
that goes on, but it's howmuch of it can fill through into the
right areas and be in the rightplaces for people. That's the concern,
because as a human being, sometimeswe can be a bit slow on the
uptake of what's really required for acertain areas. It's certainly on the medical
side of it. It always bafflesme when you've got a certain medical procedure
(33:37):
that could be done to save somebody'slife or whatever, and that the people
just seem to take it for grantbecause one of the people one or two
people know about it. With ifone or two people know about everybody should
know about it to a certain extentof how to how to do it,
you know, and there should bea more concerted effort to make sure that
(33:57):
as much as we can that everybodyat any football match, at football wherever
they are is as safe as theycan be in a sense of their health
or there's always going to be somethingor someone around that can help them if
there is any distress solving and notyou're say forul that goes for crowds as
well. Obviously a football match,you know, it's not only about the
(34:19):
players on the pitch when they're crammedinto in a stadium of fourteen sixteen,
twenty seventy eight thousand people or whateverthat as we know that the Sir John's
Ambulance people there every day and probablydon't get as much recognition as they should
do. But there's people there,you know. And is there enough people
there now, I don't know,but we should really make sure. Every
(34:42):
club should certainly make sure that thereis always the facility there for any any
situation that may occur where it affectsanybody's health. It's within that ground.
I'm sure that. I'm sure thereare barriers to having it to implement what
we've been talking about. I thinkthe biggest barrier will be money. But
when we've got the richest football associationand the world and they are chucking millions
(35:07):
at pitches. I think my homeworkfor the next couple of days might be
to look at what the FA areactually provided in terms of funding for first
aid and the resuscitation kits, etcetera at Nonnie grounds and grassroots football,
because I definitely know in schools andcolleges we're twenty seconds away from defibrillator.
As I said, we're all qualifiedfirst aid as in PA and coaching staff.
(35:29):
So I'll be interested to do abit of research and find out what
the actual what the FA are actuallyputting aside for this. But I would
imagine that cost is a barrier too. It's always going to be the same
for at the end of the day, everything comes back down the money.
But you know, when you've gota football, we're running around And don't
get me wrong, I think ifyou're the greatest football in world, you're
(35:51):
in told to be paid as thegreatest footballer in the world, you know,
But when you talk about some ofthe sums of money that they're on
per week, you know what Imean, And you had that all up
together and what people are paying outfor that, you know, surely there's
a sort of certain amount of thatchunk that maybe could be taken away and
put into a side to the thing. The problem with what we're talking about
(36:13):
is, more often than not isbecause people think it may never happen,
it won't happen, it doesn't.Well, when it does, it highlights
it all. And when it's highlighted, then people go, all right,
we should be doing something, andlet's do something a bad before it happens.
Let's let's be proactive. Let's makesure we can give these people the
best backup service of medical that wecan in any situation that they might find
(36:37):
their self in. Let's not waitfor a disaster to happen or anything like
that to happen. That jocks people'sminds about what they what is important,
you know, to say, weall know, and we all understand it's
important, but you know, itjust sometimes it sinks in the amount of
money floating around in football and wheredoes it actually get distributed to. Well,
(37:00):
let's let's get a fairness in thereand make sure some of it's distributed
in the right areas. Yeah.Absolutely, I think I think that's really
good points that you guys have madethere, and and I think what you
just mentioned there about. You know, let's let's jump on it before before
it happens. You know, it'snever gonna happen to us, will be
all right, or someone else willdo it. I think that that's they're
(37:22):
really really valid points. And uh, we had an incident on a couple
of weeks ago with on the finalwhere our striker jar He's gone up for
a header and ended up with anasty cut across his across his eyebrow,
and we were lucky we had someonethere that knew what they were doing and
ended up I think eight ditches Ithink he had in the end. But
(37:43):
just a little thing like that,you know, it's it's important to have
have the have the have the rightinfrastructure there and the facility is there to
deal with it. You deal withit there. And then yeah, so
we started this conversation on Miles didin turn that you're not a young football
anymore. You should hang your bootsup. But that's another story. Really,
I'm not sure you he's talking onthe healthcare I believe. I'm not
(38:04):
sure checked with Marls with that one. Yeah. Yeah, by the way,
that well, we'll take a shortbreak there and listen to Bethany Manctalo
talking about the mill Or Community Trustfunding The mill Will Community Trust something that
I, Bethany Mantelow admire for allthat it does. The Trust was established
(38:27):
in nineteen eighty five works to providesporting, education, social and healthy lifestyle
opportunities to the local community in Southwark, Lewisham, North Kent and the wider
community. Its work is targeted atpeople of all ages, irrespective of race,
gender or sexual orientation, and runsprograms aimed at tackling social exclusion,
(38:49):
racism, knife crime, lack ofemployment opportunities for young people, mental health
and disability issues. The Trust aimsto be a progressive and campaigning charity that
makes a difference to ordinary people's lives. Its work is undeniably essential to the
local community. They have sponsorship opportunitiesto support this work. Email commercial at
(39:13):
Millwall Community dot org dot uk.I'll say that again, that is email
commercial at Millwall Community dot org dotUK. Please help if you can.
I'm your host, Marles Thornton andwith me the Noall ATS's talking team of
Phil Coleman, Terry Robinson, plusa special guest Paul Odin, the general
manager of mill Rommins and Pride.Mattie was particularly supportive of the Trust.
(39:36):
If you can donate or support sponsorthe Trust, you'll help them deliver up
their activities across all age groups inour community. Originally published by The New
York Times, here are some ofthe thoughts expressed about Matty by his family
and friends. Matisia, known forbeing a thoughtful academic a hugely popular player
for every club he's represented, wascoming ever so close to fulfilling his dreamed
(40:00):
to play in the Premier League,having just enjoyed an excellent season with Millwell
in the Championship. That dream hasnow been cruelly snatched away, leaving his
family and friends struggling to come toterms with seeing a young man in the
prime of his life taken far toosoon. After the finishing the season with
Millwell, Matitia flew to the toTurkey and Spain with Millwall's Andy Marshall,
(40:22):
his goalkeeping coach since his time atAston Villa, to prepare for Montenegro's to
fight friendly match against Belgium on duringthe fifth The extra training paid off as
he pulled off a string of outstandingsaves and was named man of the match
in Montenegro's two neil defeat. Itwas said to be the best game of
(40:42):
his life. Tragically, it wasalso his last. Rest in peace Atisha
Sakic, Mattie went to Montenegro fora mini break. Landed in the country
on a Friday, He and hisgirlfriend Phoebe spent a day at the beach
and proudly showed off his newly furnishedapartment in coastal town of Budvah on the
Adractic Coast. However, in thesmall hours of Saturday morning, he woke
(41:07):
up feeling unwell and collapsed shortly afterwards. His friend and former aston Villa defender
Oscar Bag's girlfriend and nurse administered CPRuntil the ambulance arrived. The paramedics then
attempted their own resuscitation, but withoutsuccess. It was an instant death.
(41:29):
His father Bojan said he was notsuffering. The traditions here are that the
brothers placed the brother into the coffin, said the brother Oliver. So me
and my brother and the two workersfrom the mall picked Matty up and placed
him gently in the coffin. Helooked peaceful and he was in his national
(41:49):
team kit rip matting the Football Associationof Onting. They grow organized a memorial
service the following attended by the country'spresident, Jakob Miletovich, which his brother
Oliver paid tribute. He said inhis speech, I always remember him as
he was last, A tall,handsome, smart man, a loving brother
(42:15):
and a greatly talented goalkeeper who ishard working and dedicated. Mattia was buried
with his grandparents, Bieber and Alaya, in the main cemetery in podgar Ica,
the capital of Montenegro. They bothbelieved in him so much. His
father, boy Jane, said,my mother decided on the name Mattia,
and my father was a footballer whoalways said he would make it as a
(42:37):
professional. Now he's with them both. Rest in peace, Matty. He
was also remembered for his ability tolight up a run, sense if you're
a mischief, infectious energy, loveof travel, and good coffee. He
was so passionate about coffee that hehad a station at home christened the Sarkish
Lounge. Everything he did was fun. Bo Janni's father recalled, he did
(43:01):
it all with a smile, andthat was him. My mother was an
actress and she called Matty granny's actorbecause he was always making fun around her,
dancing and doing silly little things.His favorite was Borat, Sasha Baron
Cohen's film character, and once atMillwall while they were out at Christmas,
they dressed him as Borat. Hedid something similar at Birmingham. He bought
(43:23):
a plastic Lamborghini and came into thedressing room dressed like Troy Deanie because Troy
had a Lamborghini. It was alwaysto have some fun and make people smile.
Matty Sakic's fond memories would not beforgotten. Rest in peace. What
a memorable person. Matty became tous at Millwall over thirty three games after
(43:45):
joining US. Last August, BillHarris revealed that talks are underway regarding plans
honor him and always used the phraseonce a lion, always the line,
he said, and I think that'sspeaking volumes for us as a football club.
Matty was extremely proud to represent us. It's an opportunity to pay a
moment of respect, support us,appreciate what people do for their football club,
(44:07):
and there will be various tributes inthe coming weeks and months. We've
already started talking behind the scenes abouthow we can pay our respects on Matty's
life and his time at our footballclub. On those final words, I
say, on behalf of myself thatno one likes this talking team, not
just on this episode but the whole. No one likes to talking to Matty.
(44:28):
Your memory will live on with yourfamily, friends and Millwall fans.
We play out with Montagegro's national anthem, to which Matti stood firm and proud
when he represented his country, theSUSTA
Hi, Bethany Mantalo. Here youhave joined us for the magnificent monthly Millwell
Podcast, which features thoughts from thepanel about what affects the beautiful game and
Millwell Enjoy. Hello everyone and welcomeso the No One Likes Us Talking special
remembering Matitia sarks I'm your host MarsThornton and with me I the No One
(00:23):
Likes as talking team of former LionPhil Coleman Ted Robinson plus a guest panelist
today who was meant to have twoguests but Jackie Lawson of the Blue Anchor
Pub in the Blue Burwnsey. I'mthoughtunately couldn't make it tonight, but we
do thank her for making making theefforts to try and come on. And
also Paul Loading, the general managerof mill Romans and Pride. Welcome Paul,
(00:43):
Phil and Tim. It was asad story for both Milwell and Montenegro
on Saturday the fifteenth June when newsarrived from Europe surrounding the passing of our
goalkeeper Letitia Sarkets. We broadcasted MaritimeRadio that day. Here are two clips
from that broadcast from former chairman JeffBurnage and former millwaukeeper branking I have with
(01:04):
me Jeff Burnish, former Millwall chairman, who's going to say a few words.
Well, the Millwall family woke upearly this morning to this terrible news
that our goalkeeper Mattia Sarkich had passedaway suddenly. In common with all the
contributors to no one likes us talking. I would just wish to send my
(01:27):
sincere condonencies to his family. Ibelieve his father, Bojan, is the
Montenegro ambassador to the European Union andpreviously the ambassador to the United Kingdom.
He was born in England Mattia toBoyer and his mother Natalie, and he
had a twin brother, Oliver.I believe this news brings back the tragic
(01:49):
thoughts we had last summer at thesudden passing of our chairman, John Belton.
I've been looking forward to a longmilwalker for Mattia Sarkitch, but very
sadly our last footage and memory ofhim will be walking around the den at
our end of season lap of honor. Once more. My heart thought condolences
(02:13):
to Mattia's family that they must nowbe allowed to grieve in private. Thank
you Jeff, and they're going tohand over to Brian King, the legendary
Milwell goalkeeper from the sixties and seventieswho will holds the club's recle goalkeeper appearances.
Brian can only readily rate on whatJeff Bernid had just said and yourself,
(02:34):
how shocked we were to learn thetragic passing of Mattia. Such a
nice, nice fella and he lookedto me as though he was going to
be the future of Millwall for thenext three or four years, that's for
sure. And now I first encounteredhim at asked the villa when I was
working there, and thoroughly nice boy, polite, old school in everything he'd
done. And as Jeff said,I can pass on my condolences to his
(03:00):
father and his mother and the familyand to people at Montenegro and people at
Millwall because he was a cherished memberof the Milwall family and would have been
for the for the next few years. Rest in peace. Thank you right
well, Thank you to Brian andto Jeff Burnish for those thoughts. And
(03:22):
firstly I'd like to talk to youabout Burmonsey Town Football Club, who are
a local non league side, andI am the head of media and Communications
at the club and My role alsois to market for the club, the
marketing and we've recently launched a newproposition for Millwall fans. All Millwall season
(03:42):
ticket holders and membership card holders willget half price entry to our home games
from next season. So please doIf Millwall are away or we're not playing,
please do come down and support BernseyTown because we really could do with
your support. We've played at SaintPaul Sports Ground in Rotherhive. I'm your
host, Moss Thornton and with meI have the Noe Likes as talking team
of Phil Coleman and Ted Robinson,plus a special guest of Paul Loadin,
(04:05):
the general manager of mill All Romansand pride In sure to get down to
Cemprale Sports Grown where mill was notplaying or away. In Montenegro that morning,
the Vijesti reported the goalkeeper of thefootball team of Montenegro, Matitia Sarkch
died this morning in Budvah at theage of twenty six. As for Jesty,
(04:27):
learned he fell ill in the apartmentwhere he was staying, after which
he sadly passed away. Just afew days prior, Matitia Sarkic impressed the
public with his saves in a friendlymatch with Belgium in Brussels. After that
he made mister game against Georgia toattend his brother's wedding his twin brother in
Oliver's wedding which unfortunately five days laterhe passed away. He was born in
(04:53):
nineteen ninety seven in Grimsby. Hestarted his career in the younger categories of
Andelecht and in twenty fifteen he movedto the younger categories of categories of aston
Villa. That's when his career onthe island of Britain became began. After
aston Villa, Sarkis played for Wigan, Stratford, Livingston, Wolverhampton, Shrewsbury,
(05:15):
Birmingham Stoke and eventually Millwall. Hearrived at Millwall in August last year.
He played thirty three games and intwelve he did not concede a goal
and he was one of the bestplayers the Lions. For the Lions this
season as Millwell's first goalkeeper, hegained a lot of sympathy with his games,
both from the club and the fans. He went through the junior representative
(05:36):
selection of the football team of Montenegroand he made his debut for the A
team against Belarus in a friendly match. In twenty nineteen. He played nine
games for the Brave Falcons and excelledin the last one against Belgium. His
twin brother Oliver played for Detych inthe previous season and was among the most
(05:58):
deserving of the club's player title fromTUESSI, what you just heard there is
a translation of the Montenegram word restin peace Matitia Sharkic, Phil, How
did this affect you when you heardabout Matitia Sarkic misspassing and did you have
an abiding memory of Matty? Iwould imagine like everybody else, I was
(06:20):
genuinely shocked and gutted, and Ialso felt not again. But for me,
it's the whole circumstance and the wholepackage that surrounds his passing. That's
so sad and just so wrong.He's only twenty six, fit athletic,
a professional sportsman. He's just becomeour number one goalkeeper and he started to
(06:42):
flourish, particularly at the end ofthe season. At Montenegro International. He
was captain man of the match againstBelgium in his live game, and I've
watched the highlights and he pulled offsome great sapes across the whole game,
and then he was best man athis twin brothers wedding and then suddenly we
lose him. So that circumstance isjust gut rinting and with so much still
(07:05):
to offer, I mean his parentsand brother family. He must be so
proud of him, that those lovedones must be so proud of him,
but they've also they're also going tobe in bits over losing him, as
all his teammates and if you've everbeen in the change room, I wouldn't
call it clicks, but you dohave your close friends and they will suffer.
It'll hit them hard and it willtake time, particularly those that were
(07:26):
close to him and probably socialized withhim. And from my experience, I
can remember losing John Lyons, itactually brought the team together. It brought
us closer together. We stuck together, we got a head down and we
trained harder, and we kept talkingabout it, and we still talk about
him now when we get together.I'm sure the first game for the season
(07:47):
now confirmed against Watford, I'm surethat game is going to be for him,
and in that change room and inhis loved ones and fans, it'll
always be in hearts and memories.But for me, the circumstances, the
whole package of recent events. It'snot like twenty six year old fit the
young le with so much. AndI only met him once. I saw
him in the car park before agame and he was smiling walking along.
(08:11):
He had time for everybody, allthe kids. He only said a load
to me and he carried on walkingwith that smile on his face, looking
very confident. And everybody has alreadymentioned about his dedication and work effort to
being a footballer and a goalkeeper,and as king he said, I'm sure
he would have been our best goalkeeperfor a long time. So again my
thoughts go out to his left onesand his teammates. Paul, I understand
(08:35):
you met Matty at the end ofseason awards. How did you? How
did you find him? Yeah?I was really lucky to attend the end
of season awards and we obviously you'rein a situation with all these players that
you've been watching all season, andvery close up, and it was quite
random. Our eyes sort of met. We was at different tables and he
(08:58):
looked over at me. I lookedat him. He gave me a big
smile, a couple of moments later, he walked past behind my chair and
just just tapped me on the shoulder. He put he put his hands off
the shoulder and just gave me aquick tap, just to sort of a
say hello. And I just thoughtit was a really really nice moment.
I don't think we knew who Iwas, but we obviously locked eyes with
each other. But as Phil justsaid, I just think it's it's it's
(09:22):
just so sad, such a sucha young player, you know, twenty
six years old, having such asuch a future ahead of him, and
to die so suddenly, it's justsuch a such a tragic, such a
tragic time. But yeah, itwas a nice, nice moment just to
have that with him. The millRomans played Chilton and the Addicts on Sunday
(09:43):
the sixteenth. What was the atmospherelike a simple wasn't did you do an
if he's special? I don't knowif he did. Yeah, we obviously
we had a game on the sixteenth, and because it's so close to home,
and as soon as we saw eachother, we'd all discussed it and
to be fair to and they alsoagreed, we held a minute silence before
it was the Cup final day andto be fair, I say, to
(10:07):
be fair to Chart and they Ithink they were quite shocked as well.
It was such a such a youngplayer dying. But yeah, we wanted
to sort of mark mark his passingand it felt right to have just a
minute silence on that day just tocelebrate his life. Really, that's lovely,
that's lovely. Ted. Do youthink we'll have the same challenges as
(10:31):
when John Barrelston passed away regarding andfinding it difficult to move forward? Yeah,
that goes me and I thinks,you know, different sort of situations
with the people concerned, if youknow what I mean, young mess he's
in front of him, and Idon't think John would have been upset if
(10:54):
hearing me say, is that twentysix is no age in this boy in
my opinion, as Field has alreadysaid about, if you'll see how he
played in that Belgium game, howhe played in the last few games of
the season, and the lasting memoryI have is that save against Southampton that
kicked us off for Neil when hecame back that won us the game.
(11:16):
I was saying to our friends,and this is no I was saying,
so that we've got a key breerthat is going to be a top class
keeper. He was for his age. He was just improving and improving in
every game and becoming more commanding moreand you can see that he fitted in
with a squad. That's how itmust be so difficult for them. But
(11:39):
what I always think of in thesesituations, like I did when John passed
away, and you have to thinkto yourself, I do anyway, how
would he have wanted us to goon from here? And I'm sure that
he, like John, would wantto be successful, would want us to
put our best foot forward from herein memory of them, in honor of
them, give them something to beproud of. It is fitting. As
(12:05):
Phil said that our first game ofthis season is going to be at home
wat Fernand I don't think there's anydoubt in my mind that that is going
to be a day of remembrance toMatty. Every Millwall fan i'm sure will
want to be in the ground toshow and pass their respects to who was
(12:26):
it the young lad who has takenfar too early from us. But as
I say, I know Neil's goingto have a difficult job in finding someone
to Philly's boots for the first game, we have to go out and get
a goalkeeper from somewhere, but hopefullythey get the right character to come in.
I know all the guys that arethere, that was there with Matty
(12:48):
from last season are going to uptheir game even to a stronger level on
that first game of the season becauseof what has happened to Matty. It
goes without saying that again. Ipassed all my respects onto Matty's family and
everyone else concerned with me, includingthe lads, the mill boys, because
(13:11):
when you work with someone day inday out, you tend to finish up
taking them a little bit for grantedin a sense that they're there and they're
always there. It's only when thatfirst day you turn up and there's that
smile isn't there anymore? It's notaround you and a likable lad like Mattie.
I had the pleasure at the samerewards as Paul was speaking to me,
(13:33):
and he was such a nice guy, a nice guy, and you
just knew that I could see thefeelings that the other boys, the middle
lads add for him. He waswithout a doubt and over use the word
Millwell family a lot, but Iwas a family and it felt like a
(13:54):
family member had gone to myself becauseit was just such a nice guy.
So hopefully you know it's going tobe a challenge to move on. You're
never going to forget the guy,of course we ain't. You're never going
to forget John. He'll always bea memory of these people. But in
some ways we owe it to themto carry on and do the sort of
(14:18):
things that they would have wanted Millwallto do, and we do it in
their honor. That's why, Yeah, I agree with all that he'll be
a tough act to replace, leavinga big hole in a squad. We'll
take a break there and listen toour sponsor and great friend of the show,
Dean Watson and Dean Males from Itand your Your funeral directors are famed
(14:43):
for caring for Millill families. Whereare you located and how far afield if
you travel to accommodate the needs footof families. Well, we've got three
branches, the main ones in Eltonin Welhall Road and we've got another one
in locks Bottom which is near Orpingtonmill Fans around us. We cover all
areas and we do travel for families. We had the lady very recently that
(15:03):
passed away up north, but itwas always to come back to South London
for a funeral, so that's whatwe did. We went out to Sheffield
and we brought it back. Wequite often carry out funerals and me all
families all over South London and Kentright down to the South coast. Dean
Wilson, Independent Family Funeral Directors,Karen for Mill will families no matter how
(15:24):
near or far, should you needthem at any time, bring two eight
three to three one one one oneone. That's eight three three one one
one one one. I'm your host, Miles Thornton and with me the No
One likes his talking team of PhilColeman and Ted Robertson, plus a guest
(15:46):
panelist of Pauloading, the general managerof Rown Mill, Romans and Pride.
Thanks very much to Dean Wilson forsponsoring this special show. Verjesse also reported
as the Euros went into its groupstage, the mature departure of Matsha Sarkich
made the whole football world cry.However, apart from the great athletes of
(16:06):
Slovenia, no one else paid theirrespects to the young Montenegrant goalkeeper during the
European Championships in Germany. Iding Idrizovich, former European champion in modern dance,
decided precisely at Euro twenty twenty fourto thank Matischa in his own way for
everything he did for Montenegro. Abanner with a photo of our goalkeeper was
(16:29):
displayed from the stands of the AliantArena during the match between Denmark and Serbia.
Edin wrote on Instagram, in memoryof our Matitia sarkch I had decided
to make a banner in his honorfor the match of the European Championship in
Munich and thus remind the organizers thata minute silence was something they should have
(16:49):
done for our Maticia to remember allplayers and national teams that they should have
paid tribute to a young man anathlete. Phil studies suggest that the incidents
of cardiac arrest, namely arythia's heartfailure, heart failure and heart attacks increases
(17:11):
during many major sporting events, especiallysports like football. What's the Football Association
and the Professional Footballers Association and positioningon mental monitoring players health? It's actually
quite good Miles. Until recently,I know that the FA test all young
(17:33):
sixteen year olds on entry to thePro Game. It's actually mandatory where it
was. The tests include physical teststhat you'd imagine, but ECGs and echo
cardiagrams, and more recently they've nowmade it recommended. I'd like to see
it as mandatory that players have tohave those tests again at eighteen twenty and
(17:55):
twenty five. However, I doknow that a good few years ago they
tested eleven thousand players over a twentyyear period, and unfortunately, eight still
died out of that number from undiagnosedheart issues. They call it sudden cardiac
arrest or cardio myopathy, which Iknow quite a bit about it because I've
(18:18):
lectured it to the students in mycollege, and cardi on wimpathy is an
abnormality of the heart muscle and despiteECG's and echo cardigrams you can still not
find it. So sadly there waseight out of eleven thousand in those tests,
which then made the FA recommend thatthese tests are carried out again at
eighteen twenty twenty five. And Iknow my son he had to go to
(18:41):
London for tests when he came intothe Pro Game when he was at Culture
United, and he went through aheck of a lot of tests and I
also picked up on it because apet to many years ago she lost her
sixteen year old son after a hockeymatch and the charity cry Cardiac Risk Young
People that evolved from that and Iactually used to fund from my budget when
(19:06):
I was a head of PE.I used to get kry to come in
and they come up from I thinkit's the Royal Free Hospital in London and
we get some top surgeons and theirstaff and they would come into the school
and I put it out to overfifteen's up to the college under eighteens and
their parents who would like a heartscanon two occasions three years apart, and
(19:26):
about four hundred students have this testand some five one year we found that
they needed minor heart treatments. Onein particular stands out if youre going to
scuba diving, I think it wouldkill him if he hadn't had this part
test. So unfortately, as ineducation budgets, I couldn't fund it ongoing,
so I had to stop it.But I would imagine that in professional
(19:49):
sport it is now an absolute muster. We've had too many incidents with social
media and the world is very smallwith the TV and media these experiences Marcus
Errikson, et cetera. But Ithink the FARE moved in the right direction.
Mandatory testing at sixteen, more testingat eighteen, twenty and twenty five
that sadly there are even after thosetests and diagnosed heart problems which sadly account
(20:15):
for a few. I'm not sureexactly what the situation was with Mattie Selkicch,
but from what I do know,the FA and the PFA or the
right lens in making sure that theytest these young players. Paul, you
still play an amateur level. Whatdo you what do you think about the
position regarding health monitoring professional game.I think as Fields just touched on there.
(20:37):
I think I think that's that's that'sreally good. They're doing the ECGs
at eighteen twenty twenty five. Youknow, football's you know, even at
our level, you always want toyou always want to push yourself as much
as you can. You always wantto run a bit quicker, You always
want to be a bit stronger,play better because you are playing for a
(20:59):
team. At the end of theday. You know, if you don't,
if I don't get there, thenit could have fit the whole team,
and I think you're always always pushingyourself to to be that better player.
So I think it's it's it's sadthat that that even after all the
tests, that still players are arepassing away. But I think I think
that's that's a that's a really goodthing to that the f A are taking
(21:19):
it seriously and are doing, uhdoing these e cgs at those ages.
But for younger players, and yeah, I think I think I would it
would it help even something doing somethingin the in the amateur game as well
as I say, you're always tryingto push yourself as a player, even
even at my age. Yeah,I do know. Is is it semi
(21:45):
pro level when you're trying to becomean affiliated club with the f A in
England football? You have to haveat least one person who's trained in that
way to help me think like thathappens. Can I just say, I
totally agree that it never struck me. But we've got tens of thousands of
non league players who are played insome cases a lot of money in the
(22:07):
National League and National League South atNorth and the Ishanian Premier and I'd recommend
that they all get tested because Iwas coaching a National League South team and
I never saw any hearts gans injust over a year I was there.
So yeah, that's a fantastic ideathat it should be mandatory as well in
non league. You're right, it'sthe same people, it's the same players,
(22:32):
it's the same heart, you know, and you know, if it
saves lives, that's what we shouldbe able to do. Yeah, No,
absolutely, absolutely, Ted. TheEngland team is sporting titanium health rings
as the team progressed through the groupstage of Euro twenty twenty four. The
FA is believed to have paid twelvethousand pounds to equip both playing staff and
(22:55):
support staff, and Gara Southgate hasbeen sporting one two. It monitors everything
from sleep quality to stress levels andheart health. It's too late for Mattie
and many other young athletes who who'velost their lives. But is it an
excellent way to go as technology continuesto become an essential and fantastic game.
(23:15):
Not if it makes them play likethe England team. No, I've been
wondering why they've been so rubbish andnow it could well be these to ta
No. Look, I mean toecho a little bit what Paul was saying,
and certainly what Field was saying thereyou cannot any sort of medical advances
(23:40):
that are made that could be broughtinto sport to check the health of people
have to be there. I mean, I remember a few years ago when
we used to do the Old LinesLive show from the Den and that we
had a young lad called Tobiella beComing who suffered a heart thing on the
football pitch and he had started upcampaigning. He was only nineteen, I
(24:02):
think when it happened, but hestarted a campaign about getting the fibulas into
football grounds so that there was onethere in every football ground because at that
time there wasn't. And it seemslike a nonsense to me when you think
about the money that is in footballand around in football, that there should
be any medical advances that are madethat can check the health of these young
(24:29):
lads and the older ones as well. It should be in there. I
mean need these titanium rings, Ibelieve are like the fit bit things that
you get and whatever they monit yourheart and all that. I mean,
I'm not so sure that I wantto wear something like that on my finger
all day long telling me how I'mabout to get this certainly not while I'm
watching real wall with my army allover the place. So because there's also
(24:53):
it can bring a sort of senseof anxiety in the people about how healthy
I am. If you're watching yourselfall the time out I mean, your
health and whatever. But if you'rea professional sportsman or footballer out there,
you're putting your body through hell.I mean, you did it, and
(25:14):
I know Paul does it as anamateur. You know, I played so
I was about forty five, andI'll run around like an eighty year old
person at forty five because of theamount of running about I've done. So
you're pushing your body through extremes withwhatever sport you are, with whatever level
you are, to a certain extent. You know. The only thing the
difference with the professionals there is theirjob is what they do. Their body
(25:37):
has to be in as tiptops asit can be for them to put the
best performance out on the pitch.But in doing that and getting your body
there, you're pushing it to itslimits all the time. So, I
mean, look the advance in medicalmedicals within the sport now, I mean,
you know, Phil could tell youwhat it was like in these days,
(25:59):
I'm sure there was. There wasnext to nothing going on, and
if you got injured, they jabbedyou with the needles, they get back
out there and you'll be all rightand elf you win. So there's always
advancements going on every year within sport, but there's some issues that need to
be looked at a little bit deeperand looked at a little bit more regular,
(26:21):
you know, in a sense,I hear what Phil was saying about
the sixteen, eighteen, twenty yearolds and twenty five and whatever. To
me, all that was going throughmy mind. Then that's great, But
why is it not done every year? You know what I mean? It
Perhaps it should be something that I'mpretty sure at the start of the season,
and I'm pretty sure the Millwall boysyesterday when they went back were having
(26:45):
medicals on everything and anything and checkinghow much that they're put on, and
god knows where else and at Yeah, they don't automatically get a hearts game,
which seems a bit strange to mein this day age, when we've
certainly got the medical technology to giveyou a good understanding of how that person's
(27:06):
heart is acting, and if there'sany possibility of that heart maybe not working,
and it's a horrible thing to say, but maybe in some respects with
things like what has happened to matter, it brings it more to the forefront
of everybody's eyes. It gives peopleto sort of kick up the backside.
They need to make sure that theyare doing everything they possibly can to make
(27:29):
sure these guys that are going outthere week in week out, putting their
bodies on the line and pushing itthrough the extremes that they do are looked
after medically in the best possible way. Ted, I'd totally back that one
as well, because back in theseventies, probably earlier and sixties, if
(27:52):
you broke your leg, you've gota cold sponge down the back of your
neck. If you punching your luveworked. I can go through a broken
leg and I have a cold spungedown in neck and I'm carried off.
I had a punctured lump, brokenribs, I had a cold sponge down
at back in the neck and I'mcuted off on a blue light. There
(28:12):
wasn't anything we had a trainer were, we didn't even have qualified physiotherapists.
It wasn't until late seventies that Isaw that the club had a doctor there
on match days. So as you'rerightly saying, said the advancements of what
we now provide and pull touched onit when in non league we have a
(28:36):
physio at non league but to myknowledge there's no doctor. And I went
to watch Colchis United under twenty onesversus mill Wonder twenty one. The game
was off an hour late kicking offbecause they didn't have a paramedic on the
in the ground and I'm thinking,this is a pain I'm going to get
over late. But they were right, you should have a paramedic to an
under twenty one game. It's theright thing to do. If we've got
(29:00):
technology, and nowadays we have advancedtechnology, let's use it. Because at
the end of the day was hisname, Marcus Erickson and Tom Lockyer.
Tom Lockyer, they have highlighted theabsolute need for immediate assistance to some of
these players and the crowd as welland players. We can't have players and
(29:25):
fans losing their life going to watcha sport or play a sport. Some
class as assets. So again,if we're going to move forward, it's
not for me to recommend, butI'm going to voice an opinion we should
make sure nominally players are health screenedand heart checked, and we should make
sure that there's an annual test becauseI think, whilst I agree sixteen eighteen
twenty twenty five, there are reasonablyspaced out. Perhaps we should at the
(29:51):
start of every football season every playeris checked and it becomes good best practice,
good practice. The technology has movedthat we have got trackers and I'm
sure we've got heart monitors on someof the kick that the players are wearing.
So we have moved forward from theseventies and eighties when I played.
We have definitely moved forward. It'sfar better and I'm sure more lives have
(30:14):
been saved because of the scans,but one's too many. You can go
further than that field. In actualfact, I mean, I remember saying
I used to coach teams meets ownunder fourteen boys and I've got so panicky
about the fact that, you know, if one of them got injured.
It was down to me that notonly did I do a first aid course,
but I also went on the FA'sphysiotherapy cours for first like first season,
(30:40):
which was the start of what ifyou wanted to be a physio within
a football it was like the startingthing and what scratching the surface of the
knowledge that you sometimes you might thinkyou need. But you know, there's
lots of young kids football teams outthere where there's nobody with any sort of
even fir stayed training that is runninga team. So if anything was to
(31:03):
happen, there's nobody there to doanything, which is criminal really, And
so you know, all I'm sayingis we always tend to look at the
top end of the pyramid as such, and as you're pointing out for it
quite rightly that it should filter downinto the non league game, which again
is they in the same respects,it should filter all the way through even
(31:26):
to like kids football, you know, even to park football. To a
certain extent, if you've got theresponsibility of running a team, you should
be responsible to have someone there hasgot some sort of medical knowledge, even
if it's just the first data,that they would know what they should have
to do in case there was acertain situation that occurred, you know,
(31:48):
agreed, ed, and you're right, And I watched games under eleventh under
twelves, I talked for thirty threeyears and I did the first aid qualification.
I did the resasage course almost annually. I've used it. I like
to think, I say, withthe life when I was in Finland a
motorcyclist, resuscitation is absolutely vital.Again dropping down, we started off talking
(32:10):
about Matty Cirkets and then Paul's broughtup nonmallygue Will dropped down to one hundred
elevens under twelve and these young kids. We need people on the sidelines that
can resuscitate, that actually have gotgood first aid knowledge. Yeah, you
know, not necessarily for one particularteam, but if a club's got three
or four games on its local park, at least somebody should be there,
somepany should be around, you're right, yeah, just to cover it.
(32:30):
Yeah. So yeah, from Matty'scircus, we've had a good conversation here
and yeah there's there's some Hopefully wehave moved on and lives will be saved
because of what is in place.But it could be could be better,
could be better. He's right,man, There's always going to be natural
progression in things as we go onin life, because you know, everything
becomes that little bit more available inthe sense. I mean, even talking
(32:52):
about the question that Marles asked meto start with about these rings. I
didn't really know about these rings untilI heard of revealing I've always had about
it, and maybe Miles asked aquestion about it. But you know,
if somebody has said to you tenyears ago, you'll be walking around a
thing on your finger that can monitoryour art and how you're sleep and all
(33:12):
that you think that was made.So there's always a huge amounts of advances
that goes on, but it's howmuch of it can fill through into the
right areas and be in the rightplaces for people. That's the concern,
because as a human being, sometimeswe can be a bit slow on the
uptake of what's really required for acertain areas. It's certainly on the medical
side of it. It always bafflesme when you've got a certain medical procedure
(33:37):
that could be done to save somebody'slife or whatever, and that the people
just seem to take it for grantbecause one of the people one or two
people know about it. With ifone or two people know about everybody should
know about it to a certain extentof how to how to do it,
you know, and there should bea more concerted effort to make sure that
(33:57):
as much as we can that everybodyat any football match, at football wherever
they are is as safe as theycan be in a sense of their health
or there's always going to be somethingor someone around that can help them if
there is any distress solving and notyou're say forul that goes for crowds as
well. Obviously a football match,you know, it's not only about the
(34:19):
players on the pitch when they're crammedinto in a stadium of fourteen sixteen,
twenty seventy eight thousand people or whateverthat as we know that the Sir John's
Ambulance people there every day and probablydon't get as much recognition as they should
do. But there's people there,you know. And is there enough people
there now, I don't know,but we should really make sure. Every
(34:42):
club should certainly make sure that thereis always the facility there for any any
situation that may occur where it affectsanybody's health. It's within that ground.
I'm sure that. I'm sure thereare barriers to having it to implement what
we've been talking about. I thinkthe biggest barrier will be money. But
when we've got the richest football associationand the world and they are chucking millions
(35:07):
at pitches. I think my homeworkfor the next couple of days might be
to look at what the FA areactually provided in terms of funding for first
aid and the resuscitation kits, etcetera at Nonnie grounds and grassroots football,
because I definitely know in schools andcolleges we're twenty seconds away from defibrillator.
As I said, we're all qualifiedfirst aid as in PA and coaching staff.
(35:29):
So I'll be interested to do abit of research and find out what
the actual what the FA are actuallyputting aside for this. But I would
imagine that cost is a barrier too. It's always going to be the same
for at the end of the day, everything comes back down the money.
But you know, when you've gota football, we're running around And don't
get me wrong, I think ifyou're the greatest football in world, you're
(35:51):
in told to be paid as thegreatest footballer in the world, you know,
But when you talk about some ofthe sums of money that they're on
per week, you know what Imean, And you had that all up
together and what people are paying outfor that, you know, surely there's
a sort of certain amount of thatchunk that maybe could be taken away and
put into a side to the thing. The problem with what we're talking about
(36:13):
is, more often than not isbecause people think it may never happen,
it won't happen, it doesn't.Well, when it does, it highlights
it all. And when it's highlighted, then people go, all right,
we should be doing something, andlet's do something a bad before it happens.
Let's let's be proactive. Let's makesure we can give these people the
best backup service of medical that wecan in any situation that they might find
(36:37):
their self in. Let's not waitfor a disaster to happen or anything like
that to happen. That jocks people'sminds about what they what is important,
you know, to say, weall know, and we all understand it's
important, but you know, itjust sometimes it sinks in the amount of
money floating around in football and wheredoes it actually get distributed to. Well,
(37:00):
let's let's get a fairness in thereand make sure some of it's distributed
in the right areas. Yeah.Absolutely, I think I think that's really
good points that you guys have madethere, and and I think what you
just mentioned there about. You know, let's let's jump on it before before
it happens. You know, it'snever gonna happen to us, will be
all right, or someone else willdo it. I think that that's they're
(37:22):
really really valid points. And uh, we had an incident on a couple
of weeks ago with on the finalwhere our striker jar He's gone up for
a header and ended up with anasty cut across his across his eyebrow,
and we were lucky we had someonethere that knew what they were doing and
ended up I think eight ditches Ithink he had in the end. But
(37:43):
just a little thing like that,you know, it's it's important to have
have the have the have the rightinfrastructure there and the facility is there to
deal with it. You deal withit there. And then yeah, so
we started this conversation on Miles didin turn that you're not a young football
anymore. You should hang your bootsup. But that's another story. Really,
I'm not sure you he's talking onthe healthcare I believe. I'm not
(38:04):
sure checked with Marls with that one. Yeah. Yeah, by the way,
that well, we'll take a shortbreak there and listen to Bethany Manctalo
talking about the mill Or Community Trustfunding The mill Will Community Trust something that
I, Bethany Mantelow admire for allthat it does. The Trust was established
(38:27):
in nineteen eighty five works to providesporting, education, social and healthy lifestyle
opportunities to the local community in Southwark, Lewisham, North Kent and the wider
community. Its work is targeted atpeople of all ages, irrespective of race,
gender or sexual orientation, and runsprograms aimed at tackling social exclusion,
(38:49):
racism, knife crime, lack ofemployment opportunities for young people, mental health
and disability issues. The Trust aimsto be a progressive and campaigning charity that
makes a difference to ordinary people's lives. Its work is undeniably essential to the
local community. They have sponsorship opportunitiesto support this work. Email commercial at
(39:13):
Millwall Community dot org dot uk.I'll say that again, that is email
commercial at Millwall Community dot org dotUK. Please help if you can.
I'm your host, Marles Thornton andwith me the Noall ATS's talking team of
Phil Coleman, Terry Robinson, plusa special guest Paul Odin, the general
manager of mill Rommins and Pride.Mattie was particularly supportive of the Trust.
(39:36):
If you can donate or support sponsorthe Trust, you'll help them deliver up
their activities across all age groups inour community. Originally published by The New
York Times, here are some ofthe thoughts expressed about Matty by his family
and friends. Matisia, known forbeing a thoughtful academic a hugely popular player
for every club he's represented, wascoming ever so close to fulfilling his dreamed
(40:00):
to play in the Premier League,having just enjoyed an excellent season with Millwell
in the Championship. That dream hasnow been cruelly snatched away, leaving his
family and friends struggling to come toterms with seeing a young man in the
prime of his life taken far toosoon. After the finishing the season with
Millwell, Matitia flew to the toTurkey and Spain with Millwall's Andy Marshall,
(40:22):
his goalkeeping coach since his time atAston Villa, to prepare for Montenegro's to
fight friendly match against Belgium on duringthe fifth The extra training paid off as
he pulled off a string of outstandingsaves and was named man of the match
in Montenegro's two neil defeat. Itwas said to be the best game of
(40:42):
his life. Tragically, it wasalso his last. Rest in peace Atisha
Sakic, Mattie went to Montenegro fora mini break. Landed in the country
on a Friday, He and hisgirlfriend Phoebe spent a day at the beach
and proudly showed off his newly furnishedapartment in coastal town of Budvah on the
Adractic Coast. However, in thesmall hours of Saturday morning, he woke
(41:07):
up feeling unwell and collapsed shortly afterwards. His friend and former aston Villa defender
Oscar Bag's girlfriend and nurse administered CPRuntil the ambulance arrived. The paramedics then
attempted their own resuscitation, but withoutsuccess. It was an instant death.
(41:29):
His father Bojan said he was notsuffering. The traditions here are that the
brothers placed the brother into the coffin, said the brother Oliver. So me
and my brother and the two workersfrom the mall picked Matty up and placed
him gently in the coffin. Helooked peaceful and he was in his national
(41:49):
team kit rip matting the Football Associationof Onting. They grow organized a memorial
service the following attended by the country'spresident, Jakob Miletovich, which his brother
Oliver paid tribute. He said inhis speech, I always remember him as
he was last, A tall,handsome, smart man, a loving brother
(42:15):
and a greatly talented goalkeeper who ishard working and dedicated. Mattia was buried
with his grandparents, Bieber and Alaya, in the main cemetery in podgar Ica,
the capital of Montenegro. They bothbelieved in him so much. His
father, boy Jane, said,my mother decided on the name Mattia,
and my father was a footballer whoalways said he would make it as a
(42:37):
professional. Now he's with them both. Rest in peace, Matty. He
was also remembered for his ability tolight up a run, sense if you're
a mischief, infectious energy, loveof travel, and good coffee. He
was so passionate about coffee that hehad a station at home christened the Sarkish
Lounge. Everything he did was fun. Bo Janni's father recalled, he did
(43:01):
it all with a smile, andthat was him. My mother was an
actress and she called Matty granny's actorbecause he was always making fun around her,
dancing and doing silly little things.His favorite was Borat, Sasha Baron
Cohen's film character, and once atMillwall while they were out at Christmas,
they dressed him as Borat. Hedid something similar at Birmingham. He bought
(43:23):
a plastic Lamborghini and came into thedressing room dressed like Troy Deanie because Troy
had a Lamborghini. It was alwaysto have some fun and make people smile.
Matty Sakic's fond memories would not beforgotten. Rest in peace. What
a memorable person. Matty became tous at Millwall over thirty three games after
(43:45):
joining US. Last August, BillHarris revealed that talks are underway regarding plans
honor him and always used the phraseonce a lion, always the line,
he said, and I think that'sspeaking volumes for us as a football club.
Matty was extremely proud to represent us. It's an opportunity to pay a
moment of respect, support us,appreciate what people do for their football club,
(44:07):
and there will be various tributes inthe coming weeks and months. We've
already started talking behind the scenes abouthow we can pay our respects on Matty's
life and his time at our footballclub. On those final words, I
say, on behalf of myself thatno one likes this talking team, not
just on this episode but the whole. No one likes to talking to Matty.
(44:28):
Your memory will live on with yourfamily, friends and Millwall fans.
We play out with Montagegro's national anthem, to which Matti stood firm and proud
when he represented his country, theSUSTA
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