Premier League referee Bobby Madley has opened up on a funny moment he shared with Matija Sarkic following the 26-year-old’s tragic death on Saturday.

Sarkic was in the coastal Montenegro town of Budva when he reportedly fell ill while with friends at an apartment on Saturday morning. An ambulance was immediately called to the scene, but attempts to save his life failed as he died around 6.30am local time.

The player reportedly enjoyed a meal with friends at a restaurant in the area on Friday evening before returning to the accommodation he was staying.

Among them was the official Madley, who shared a touching story about an interaction he had with the Montenegrin international as he prepared to take charge of an Under 19s game in 2016. 

Madley, who has refereed more than 90 matches in the top-flight, revealed that Sarkic ‘did me like a kipper’ after cottoning on to his attempts to communicate with a player he presumed had no understanding of English. 

‘I met Matija in 2016 when refereeing my first U19 Euros qualifying game between Montenegro and France.’ Madley wrote in a post on X. ‘Matija was the captain which, as a goalkeeper, isn’t always the easiest for a referee. 

‘Standing in the tunnel before the game Matija came down and shook hands. Given that my8 grasp of the Montenegrin language wasn’t the best, in a shocking broken English accent I tried to explain to Matija with many hand gestures and ridiculous facial expressions that as a captain and goalkeeper it would be hard to work with him. 

‘My question of “Is there player in team, speak English, maybe can speak with me if problem today?” was met with a blank look from Matija. I tried again with even worse broken English and the stone look remained on his face. 

‘I was defeated. I looked at Matija and said clearly I’m wasting my time and getting nowhere”. Matija half smiled. He replied in a strong Balkan accent, “Nine. Speak English him”. 

‘Delighted and very proud of myself I replied “Ah you understand English little. This is good. He speak good English?” Matija smiled and replied… “Yeah, it’s not bad, it’s my brother Oliver, we’re from Grimsby…I just wanted to see ho-w long you’d carry that nonsense on. He’d done me like a kipper.’ 

Grimsby-born Sarkic, who is the son of Montenegro ambassador Bojan Sarkic, was recently in action just over a week ago when he played the entirety of an international friendly defeat against Belgium on June 5.

Championship side Millwall revealed the club’s devastation upon hearing the news and have issued a short statement in response to their player’s passing. They have also blacked out their X profile out of respect.

Posting on the club’s official website, an announcement read: ‘Millwall Football Club is completely devastated to announce that Matija Sarkic has passed away at the age of 26.

‘Sarkic, The Lions’ number one goalkeeper, made 33 appearances for the club since joining from Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 2023.’

Sarkic moved to The Den only last year after completing a transfer from Wolves where he signed a long-term contract and immediately became a permanent figure in the first-team.

Twin brother Oliver played alongside him in Anderlecht’s youth academy, and Matija had attended his wedding just one week ago. In the wake of his passing, Oliver shared a photo of the brothers sharing a moment together with a heart emoji on his Instagram story.

His talents saw the former Aston Villa and Wolves shot-stopper cement a starting role as he went on to record 33 appearances for the club, making 77 saves and keeping 12 clean sheets.

He made a total of 175 appearances during his professional career in English football and nine senior appearances for the Montenegro national team after making his debut at the age of 22. 

Madley added: ‘I didn’t know Matija but I had the honour of sharing a pitch with this young man. That funny moment in the tunnel stayed with me and I was devastated to hear the news. 

‘Sincerest condolences to his family and his friends. Rest in Peace, Matija.’