Football Federation Announces Memorial Tournament for Matija Šarkić

The Football Federation of Montenegro (FSCG) has announced the second memorial tournament dedicated to the late Montenegrin goalkeeper, Matija Šarkić, scheduled for April 3 and 4, 2026. The event will take place at the training camp of the FSCG and will feature eight teams made up of players aged 14 and under.

Participating teams include Premier League clubs Wolverhampton, Tottenham Hotspur, and Aston Villa, along with Belgium’s Antwerp, Inter Milan from Italy, and Partizan Belgrade. Additionally, the national teams of Montenegro and Slovenia will compete, with Montenegro placed in a group alongside Antwerp, Aston Villa, and Tottenham, while the other group includes Inter, Wolverhampton, Partizan, and Slovenia.

FSCG General Secretary Momir Đurđevac emphasized the importance of the tournament, stating that it aims to honor Šarkić’s contributions to the Montenegrin national team. “Šarkić could have played anywhere, but he chose Montenegro and dedicated his career to our colors,” he said. The inaugural tournament took place in Belgium, and it is fitting that Montenegro now organizes the event as a tribute to Šarkić’s legacy.

The tournament has drawn significant interest, with Đurđevac describing the lineup of participants as impressive, reflecting the respect clubs have for Šarkić and the enthusiasm from his family. He expressed confidence that this tournament could be the strongest of its kind in Europe for this age group.

The father of the late goalkeeper, Bojan Šarkić, expressed gratitude to the FSCG for their support. He noted that both Matija and his brother, Oliver, wore the Montenegrin crest with pride from a young age. He shared that the first memorial tournament was organized quickly in Brussels, where they managed to gather many of the teams Matija had played for, including Birmingham, Millwall, Aston Villa, and Wolverhampton.

Antwerp’s victory in Brussels has earned them the honor of opening the upcoming tournament with a match against Montenegro. Bojan Šarkić also highlighted the symbolic gesture from the Slovenian national team, who wore black armbands in memory of Matija during a European Championship match shortly after his passing. “That gesture will stay with me for life and deserves recognition from Montenegro and the Šarkić family,” he remarked.

The two-day football celebration will gather 146 young players from five countries, showcasing their talent and honoring a beloved figure in Montenegrin sports. Nikola Prentić, the grassroots manager of FSCG, stressed the importance of following UEFA’s grassroots development strategies, which the federation began implementing last year.

Prentić explained that the tournament will adhere to established guidelines, ensuring each team plays three matches daily in a format of two 20-minute halves and eleven players on the field, allowing for rolling substitutions.

Matija Šarkić passed away unexpectedly on June 15, 2022. He began his football journey in the youth academy of Anderlecht, spending a decade at the prominent Belgian club before moving to Aston Villa. His career included loan spells at Wigan, Stratford, and Scottish club Livingston, where he made a significant impact before moving to Wolverhampton in 2020. Throughout his senior career, he represented Montenegro nine times, tragically passing away just ten days after his standout performance against Belgium in Brussels.