Montenegro and Millwall goalkeeper Matija Sarkic has died at the age of 26, his club and national football association announced on Saturday.

The Montenegro Football Association said he "died suddenly early this morning", calling him a "beloved member of the 'Brave Falcons', an eternally smiling guy."

Grimsby-born Sarkic played nine times for Montenegro. He made his debut against Belarus in 2019 and started in goal in a friendly against Belgium on June 5.

His twin brother Oliver is a midfielder with Montenegrin champions Decic Tuzi.&nbsp;

He started his club career in the youth academy at Anderlecht before moving to Aston Villa in 2015.&nbsp;

He had loan spells at Wigan, Stratford and Havant &amp; Waterlooville in England, and Livingston in Scotland, before joining Wolves in 2020. After further loan spells at Shrewsbury, Birmingham and Stoke, he moved to Millwall.&nbsp;

"Millwall Football Club is completely devastated to announce that Matija Sarkic has passed away at the age of 26," his English Championship club said in a statement.

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"Sarkic, The Lions' number one goalkeeper, made 33 appearances for the club since joining from Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 2023."

"Everyone at the club sends their love and condolences to Matija's family and friends at this immensely sad time."

The Montenegro football federation echoed the sentiment.

"In the jersey of that iconic London club, he left a mark, which was yet to become part of a bigger and more beautiful story. Premature death stopped that and caused great pain to the Sarkic family."

Montenegro and Millwall goalkeeper Matija Sarkic has died at the age of 26, his club and national football association announced on Saturday. The Montenegro Football Association said he "died suddenly early this morning", calling him a "beloved member of the 'Brave Falcons', an eternally smiling guy.

Montenegro and Millwall goalkeeper Matija Sarkic has died at the age of 26, his club and national football association announced on Saturday. The Montenegro Football Association said he "died suddenly early this morning", calling him a "beloved member of the 'Brave Falcons', an eternally smiling guy." Grimsby-born Sarkic played nine times for Montenegro. He made his debut against Belarus in 2019 and started in goal in a friendly against Belgium on June 5. His twin brother Oliver is a midfielder with Montenegrin champions Decic Tuzi. He started his club career in the youth academy at Anderlecht before moving to Aston Villa in 2015. He had loan spells at Wigan, Stratford and Havant & Waterlooville in England, and Livingston in Scotland, before joining Wolves in 2020. After further loan spells at Shrewsbury, Birmingham and Stoke, he moved to Millwall. "Millwall Football Club is completely devastated to announce that Matija Sarkic has passed away at the age of 26," his English Championship club said in a statement. ALSO READ | T20 World Cup 2024: India aim to continue unbeaten run in last group stage match vs Canada "Sarkic, The Lions' number one goalkeeper, made 33 appearances for the club since joining from Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 2023." "Everyone at the club sends their love and condolences to Matija's family and friends at this immensely sad time." The Montenegro football federation echoed the sentiment. "In the jersey of that iconic London club, he left a mark, which was yet to become part of a bigger and more beautiful story. Premature death stopped that and caused great pain to the Sarkic family."

Montenegro and Millwall goalkeeper Matija Sarkic passes away at 26

Watford secured promotion to the Premier League on Saturday with two games to spare, after a 1-0 win over Millwall in the second-tier Championship at Vicarage Road.<o:p></o:p>

<p style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:18.7pt;margin-left:
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word-spacing:0px">Ismaila Sarr's 11th-minute penalty proved enough as Watford guaranteed one of the two automatic promotion spots alongside Championship leaders Norwich City, who booked their top-flight spot last weekend.<o:p></o:p>

<p style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:18.7pt;margin-left:
0in;background:white;box-sizing: inherit;font-variant-ligatures: normal;
font-variant-caps: normal;font-variant-numeric: inherit;font-variant-east-asian: inherit;
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word-spacing:0px">Watford has secured an immediate return to the top flight -- which has been worth at least 160 million pounds ($221.3 million) in previous seasons -- having finished second-bottom of the Premier League in the 2019-20 campaign.<o:p></o:p>

<p style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:18.7pt;margin-left:
0in;background:white;box-sizing: inherit;font-variant-ligatures: normal;
font-variant-caps: normal;font-variant-numeric: inherit;font-variant-east-asian: inherit;
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text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;
word-spacing:0px">Manager Xisco Munoz, who was hoisted aloft by his players after the final whistle, said he had mixed feelings as he was unable to celebrate with the club's supporters in the ground due to the COVID-19 restrictions.<o:p></o:p>

<p style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:18.7pt;margin-left:
0in;background:white;box-sizing: inherit;font-variant-ligatures: normal;
font-variant-caps: normal;font-variant-numeric: inherit;font-variant-east-asian: inherit;
font-stretch: inherit;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;
word-spacing:0px">"We hope everyone enjoys it and stays safe. It's important the fans enjoy, it's a moment to enjoy," he told the BBC.<o:p></o:p>

<p style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:18.7pt;margin-left:
0in;background:white;box-sizing: inherit;font-variant-ligatures: normal;
font-variant-caps: normal;font-variant-numeric: inherit;font-variant-east-asian: inherit;
font-stretch: inherit;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;
word-spacing:0px">Watford were one of the playoff contenders after a mixed start to the second-division campaign but found another gear when Munoz replaced Vladimir Ivic as a manager in December.<o:p></o:p>

<p style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:18.7pt;margin-left:
0in;background:white;box-sizing: inherit;font-variant-ligatures: normal;
font-variant-caps: normal;font-variant-numeric: inherit;font-variant-east-asian: inherit;
font-stretch: inherit;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;
word-spacing:0px">The Spanish manager has guided Watford to 17 wins in 24 Championship games, opening up a 10-point gap over third-placed Brentford, who have a game in hand.<o:p></o:p>

<p style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:18.7pt;margin-left:
0in;background:white;box-sizing: inherit;font-variant-ligatures: normal;
font-variant-caps: normal;font-variant-numeric: inherit;font-variant-east-asian: inherit;
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text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;
word-spacing:0px">"I have been lucky with the players, we have a great connection when everyone works with the same ideas and passion," Munoz said.<o:p></o:p>

<p style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:18.7pt;margin-left:
0in;background:white;box-sizing: inherit;font-variant-ligatures: normal;
font-variant-caps: normal;font-variant-numeric: inherit;font-variant-east-asian: inherit;
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text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;
word-spacing:0px">"It's nice when you have a good group all moving in the same direction."<o:p></o:p>

<p style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:18.7pt;margin-left:
0in;background:white;box-sizing: inherit;font-variant-ligatures: normal;
font-variant-caps: normal;font-variant-numeric: inherit;font-variant-east-asian: inherit;
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text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;
word-spacing:0px">Watford's victory means Norwich must wait to be crowned champions, despite a 3-1 win over Queens Park Rangers.<o:p></o:p>

<p style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:18.7pt;margin-left:
0in;background:white;box-sizing: inherit;font-variant-ligatures: normal;
font-variant-caps: normal;font-variant-numeric: inherit;font-variant-east-asian: inherit;
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text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;
word-spacing:0px">Daniel Farke's side needs two points from their remaining two games to guarantee the second division title.<o:p></o:p>

Watford secured promotion to the Premier League on Saturday with two games to spare, after a 1-0 win over Millwall in the second-tier Championship at Vicarage Road.

Watford secured promotion to the Premier League on Saturday with two games to spare, after a 1-0 win over Millwall in the second-tier Championship at Vicarage Road. Ismaila Sarr's 11th-minute penalty proved enough as Watford guaranteed one of the two automatic promotion spots alongside Championship leaders Norwich City, who booked their top-flight spot last weekend. Watford has secured an immediate return to the top flight -- which has been worth at least 160 million pounds ($221.3 million) in previous seasons -- having finished second-bottom of the Premier League in the 2019-20 campaign. Manager Xisco Munoz, who was hoisted aloft by his players after the final whistle, said he had mixed feelings as he was unable to celebrate with the club's supporters in the ground due to the COVID-19 restrictions. "We hope everyone enjoys it and stays safe. It's important the fans enjoy, it's a moment to enjoy," he told the BBC. Watford were one of the playoff contenders after a mixed start to the second-division campaign but found another gear when Munoz replaced Vladimir Ivic as a manager in December. The Spanish manager has guided Watford to 17 wins in 24 Championship games, opening up a 10-point gap over third-placed Brentford, who have a game in hand. "I have been lucky with the players, we have a great connection when everyone works with the same ideas and passion," Munoz said. "It's nice when you have a good group all moving in the same direction." Watford's victory means Norwich must wait to be crowned champions, despite a 3-1 win over Queens Park Rangers. Daniel Farke's side needs two points from their remaining two games to guarantee the second division title.

Watford seal Premier League promotion with victory over Millwall

The footballing world was left shocked to see Millwall supporters boo players taking a knee before their match to Derby County on Saturday. However, Millwall’s official fan club has said that boos were not motivated by racism.

Millwall fans were heavily slammed by the Football Association (FA), Kick it Out – a campaign to free the English game of racism – and many others including former players, pundits and fans at Saturday’s Championship match.

Millwall said they were “dismayed and saddened” by the boos of the fans while adding that the players would continue to take a knee before the matches in a bid “to support the drive for change, not just in football but in society generally”.

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Millwall booing the knee😐 <a href="https://t.co/v3qfXRmf0Z">pic.twitter.com/v3qfXRmf0Z</a>
— Oliver⚒🎄 (@HammerzOliver) <a href="https://twitter.com/HammerzOliver/status/1335244473069088774?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Millwall Supporters’ Club, in a statement on Sunday, said the boos were aimed at the ‘Black Lives Matter’ (BLM) organisation, which it said held “extreme political views”.

"We fervently believe that the motives of those behind the booing were not racist," the Supporters' club said in a statement here.

“However, at a time of heightened awareness and with the country watching, the choice of those individuals was always going to damage their club and be perceived by the media as racist.

“Anyone who believes it was a racist act should read the views of those who booed and see they were doing it in reaction to the war memorials and statues of (Winston) Churchill defaced by the BLM organisation and the extreme political views they hold and for which ‘taking the knee’ is associated with.”

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Players in England, including the ones participating in the Premier League, have been taking a knee before matches since June in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement which spread worldwide following the death of George Floyd under police custody in Minneapolis in May.

The Premier League and Football League have since tied the kneeling gesture to their anti-racism campaigns, including ‘No Room for Racism’.&nbsp;

“These same fans have never booed the Kick It Out campaigns on our pitch or the huge work of the Millwall Community Trust and its many anti-racism campaigns,” added the supporters’ club.

However, it backed calls for steps to deal with racism and said “the action needed was not to boo the gesture.”

Not just that, fans also booed the kneeling gesture at Colchester United’s League Two (fourth-tier) match at home to Grimsby Town on Saturday with the club’s owner and chairman Robbie Cowling saying that fans opposing the anti-racism movement were not welcome at matches.&nbsp;

"Maybe those that booed on Saturday might now understand what this gesture means to our club and will at the very least remain silent during future games whilst the players continue to take the knee before each kick-off," he wrote in a statement here on the club's website.

“Alternatively, they should just stay away from our club because anyone that still wants to boo now that I have explained the purpose and importance of the taking of the knee is not welcome at our club.”

The footballing world was left shocked to see Millwall supporters boo players taking a knee before their match to Derby County on Saturday. However, Millwall’s official fan club has said that boos were not motivated by racism.

The footballing world was left shocked to see Millwall supporters boo players taking a knee before their match to Derby County on Saturday. However, Millwall’s official fan club has said that boos were not motivated by racism. Millwall fans were heavily slammed by the Football Association (FA), Kick it Out – a campaign to free the English game of racism – and many others including former players, pundits and fans at Saturday’s Championship match. Millwall said they were “dismayed and saddened” by the boos of the fans while adding that the players would continue to take a knee before the matches in a bid “to support the drive for change, not just in football but in society generally”. Millwall booing the knee😐 pic.twitter.com/v3qfXRmf0Z — Oliver⚒🎄 (@HammerzOliver) December 5, 2020 × ALSO READ: England's tour of South Africa called off after COVID-19 outbreak Millwall Supporters’ Club, in a statement on Sunday, said the boos were aimed at the ‘Black Lives Matter’ (BLM) organisation, which it said held “extreme political views”. "We fervently believe that the motives of those behind the booing were not racist," the Supporters' club said in a statement here. “However, at a time of heightened awareness and with the country watching, the choice of those individuals was always going to damage their club and be perceived by the media as racist. “Anyone who believes it was a racist act should read the views of those who booed and see they were doing it in reaction to the war memorials and statues of (Winston) Churchill defaced by the BLM organisation and the extreme political views they hold and for which ‘taking the knee’ is associated with.” ALSO READ: Liverpool spark Anfield party to join Spurs at top of Premier League Players in England, including the ones participating in the Premier League, have been taking a knee before matches since June in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement which spread worldwide following the death of George Floyd under police custody in Minneapolis in May. The Premier League and Football League have since tied the kneeling gesture to their anti-racism campaigns, including ‘No Room for Racism’. “These same fans have never booed the Kick It Out campaigns on our pitch or the huge work of the Millwall Community Trust and its many anti-racism campaigns,” added the supporters’ club. However, it backed calls for steps to deal with racism and said “the action needed was not to boo the gesture.” Not just that, fans also booed the kneeling gesture at Colchester United’s League Two (fourth-tier) match at home to Grimsby Town on Saturday with the club’s owner and chairman Robbie Cowling saying that fans opposing the anti-racism movement were not welcome at matches. "Maybe those that booed on Saturday might now understand what this gesture means to our club and will at the very least remain silent during future games whilst the players continue to take the knee before each kick-off," he wrote in a statement here on the club's website. “Alternatively, they should just stay away from our club because anyone that still wants to boo now that I have explained the purpose and importance of the taking of the knee is not welcome at our club.”

Millwall fans club says booing players taking a knee to support BLM was not racist

Brighton and Hove Albion reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, beating Championship side Millwall 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out on Sunday, after clawing their way back into the game to draw 2-2 from two goals down with only two minutes remaining.

Millwall defender Jake Cooper smashed his side's final penalty over the bar at the sudden death stage of the shoot-out, after Brighton striker Glenn Murray had hit the crossbar and Millwall's Mahlon Romeo had seen a spot-kick saved by Mat Ryan.

Chris Hughton's side pulled themselves back into the game in extraordinary circumstances after Millwall, who are 20th in the Championship and fighting relegation to English soccer's third tier, took a deserved 2-0 lead.

Central defender Alex Pearce struck the opening goal in the 70th minute with a towering header from a corner and Neil Harris's side doubled their lead with a sliding finish from Ireland international Aiden O'Brien in the 79th.

That looked to have sealed Millwall's path to Wembley as fans chanted "Manchester City we're coming for you" but substitute Jurgen Locadia gave Brighton a fighting chance with a powerful finish in the 88th.

Brighton levelled with the help of a goalkeeping howler from keeper David Martin who fumbled Solly March's hopeful cross from a free kick into the net in time added on.

Millwall's Shane Ferguson was sent off in the penultimate minute of a tense period of extra time, with both sides reluctant to take risks after a punishing 90 minutes.

It is the first time since 1983 that Brighton have reached the FA Cup semi-finals.

Brighton and Hove Albion reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, beating Championship side Millwall 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out on Sunday, after clawing their way back into the game to draw 2-2 from two goals down with only two minutes remaining.

Brighton and Hove Albion reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, beating Championship side Millwall 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out on Sunday, after clawing their way back into the game to draw 2-2 from two goals down with only two minutes remaining. Millwall defender Jake Cooper smashed his side's final penalty over the bar at the sudden death stage of the shoot-out, after Brighton striker Glenn Murray had hit the crossbar and Millwall's Mahlon Romeo had seen a spot-kick saved by Mat Ryan. Chris Hughton's side pulled themselves back into the game in extraordinary circumstances after Millwall, who are 20th in the Championship and fighting relegation to English soccer's third tier, took a deserved 2-0 lead. Central defender Alex Pearce struck the opening goal in the 70th minute with a towering header from a corner and Neil Harris's side doubled their lead with a sliding finish from Ireland international Aiden O'Brien in the 79th. That looked to have sealed Millwall's path to Wembley as fans chanted "Manchester City we're coming for you" but substitute Jurgen Locadia gave Brighton a fighting chance with a powerful finish in the 88th. Brighton levelled with the help of a goalkeeping howler from keeper David Martin who fumbled Solly March's hopeful cross from a free kick into the net in time added on. Millwall's Shane Ferguson was sent off in the penultimate minute of a tense period of extra time, with both sides reluctant to take risks after a punishing 90 minutes. It is the first time since 1983 that Brighton have reached the FA Cup semi-finals.

FA Cup: Brighton fight back to beat Millwall in shoot-out and reach Cup semis

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