Post your questions for Luke Rowe
When it comes to professional bike racing Luke Rowe has been there, seen it, done it and bought the tight-fitting Lycra. A one-team man throughout his career, he rode for Dave Brailsford's former outfit in all its iterations – from Sky Procyling, Team Sky, Team Ineos to Ineos Grenadiers.
The Welshman competed in eight consecutive editions of the Tour de France, from 2015 to 2022, and was a Team Sky road captain during their dominance of the world's greatest bike race, playing a part in five general classification victories: three for Chris Froome, one for Geraint Thomas and one for Egan Bernal.
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He also won stages at the Tour of Britain and and Herald Sun Tour and placed highly in one-day Classics such as Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and the Tour of Flanders. Rowe's memoir, Road Captain, will be published on 5 June. Is there anything you want to ask him about the cut and thrust of life in the pro peloton – or anything else?
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New York Times
14 hours ago
- New York Times
Matija Sarkic: The legacy, the grief and the unanswered questions
Tucked away in the leafy outskirts of Brussels is the family home of Natalie and Bojan Sarkic. Inside, there's everything you would expect from parents with three grown-up children, yet it is the basement that carries most significance. It has been turned into a shrine for Matija, Natalie and Bojan's son and the former Montenegro goalkeeper, since his sudden death in June 2024. Advertisement His final pair of match-worn boots are neatly stacked close to the television screen and a giant cut-out of his imposing figure fills the wall. 'This was his room, where he liked to sit with his father and brothers to watch sport,' Natalie says, proudly showing off Matija's youth trophies and a collection of high-profile shirts he and his twin, Oliver, also a professional footballer, have accumulated over the years. Bojan, who worked as Montenegro's ambassador in Brussels and then his country's ambassador to the European Union, was also Matija's agent in his final season. He spends hours watching sport in this room and points to an Anderlecht squad photo of players born in 1997, which includes midfielder Youri Tielemans, now a Belgium international who plays for Aston Villa in the Premier League, alongside his two boys. A memorial banner from a Nations League game between Wales and Montenegro — the country Matija chose to represent despite also being eligible to play for England, where Natalie was born — in September 2024 also hangs proudly from the ceiling. Everything in this room has a memory, from the gym equipment squeezed in during the pandemic to the huge corner sofa, purchased so every family member had a seat for a big game. 'He's still with me every day, especially when I'm in here,' says Bojan softly, holding back tears. 'Some days are harder than others, like when a picture of him pops up on my phone, or when I get a call from someone who knew him and they start crying. He touched so many people with his kindness and that still gets to me every day.' It was on June 15 that Matija died from heart failure in the coastal town of Budva in Montenegro. He had been named Montenegro's man of the match in a friendly against Belgium 10 days earlier and was taking a well-earned holiday with his partner, Phoebe, former Aston Villa defender Oscar Borg and his girlfriend. Advertisement In the early hours of a Saturday morning, Matija woke up feeling unwell and collapsed shortly afterwards. When Bojan was informed, he then had the traumatic task of telling Oliver, who was three days into his honeymoon in Mauritius. Matija had been his best man the previous week. The past 12 months have been a living nightmare for his family. Not only are they struggling to come to terms with the loss of their talented son, who was playing for English Championship club Millwall, they still do not feel they have received the answers they are seeking over the circumstances around his death. Natalie and Bojan have rarely spoken in public since Matija's death, the trauma still too raw and the grief too profound. Now, however, feels like the time to remember their son and address some of the more troubling questions raised by his death, specifically around the provision of heart checks in English professional football. It is why The Athletic has been invited into the family home, which Matija always wanted to buy for his parents. 'It's been a long year,' Natalie says quietly. 'Many sleepless nights.' Fitness had never been a serious issue for Matija throughout his professional career and he barely missed any games through injury. There was certainly no indication that he had a cardiac condition. All previous heart checks — an ECG (electrocardiogram) test, set up to record the electrical activity of the heart, and an echo (echocardiogram) used to measure the heart's structure and function — had come back clear the last time he was tested at his former club, Wolverhampton Wanderers, in 2022. So when the post-mortem in Montenegro showed he had suffered from heart failure, his family were understandably shocked. In a bid to discover more, they consulted a private cardiologist to look deeper into his history. Key to that research was the release of Matija's medical records at Millwall, a process that would take a further five months. Advertisement The club told The Athletic they had a legal duty to protect the confidential documents until a valid request was made by the family and that as soon as that request had been made, the records were handed over 'within the requisite time period'. Bojan and Natalie had to use lawyers, but when they received the records, they were surprised to see that Millwall had not carried out a heart check in the nine months he had been at the club. The last one had taken place two years before, at Wolves. The English Football Association, which says it 'constantly reviews the programme', recommends screening every two years up to the age of 25. Matija died when he was 26. There is no requirement for a club to carry out a new heart check when signing a player unless he is arriving from a foreign club, or has not been screened for more than two years. While most clubs generally screen every 12 months, it is known that others follow the FA guidelines of every two years. There are variations across professional football in Europe: for example, Oliver, who plays for Montenegrin side FK Buducnost Podgorica, is tested twice a year. Any club playing in a competition under the auspices of UEFA, European football's governing body, must follow its Medical Regulations (from July 2024), which state that a standard 12-lead ECG — a cardiology test that captures the heart's electric activity — should be performed annually and an echo be performed every two years. As Millwall were not playing in a UEFA competition, they were not covered by those rules. Millwall told the family in a letter that they offered Matija a heart check in April 2024, which he did not take up. They reiterated this to The Athletic when approached separately. Bojan and Natalie say they have not found anything in his communications about the offer of a heart check around this time. There is no suggestion that Millwall are at fault in any way as the timing of the heart check they offered fell within the two-year period, but the family's sense of disappointment and regret is palpable. Without a more recent ECG and echocardiogram, the private cardiologist's subsequent research returned inconclusive. Advertisement 'It's devastating because if there was a more recent scan, we might have been able to rule a number of things either in or out, but without it, we'll never know,' Natalie says. In a statement to The Athletic, a Millwall spokesperson acknowledged that Matija's death 'caused significant sadness for everyone at Millwall' and said they have worked hard to assist the family. 'The club takes all such regulations seriously and will always adhere to our professional and legal obligations,' the spokesperson added. 'In Matija's case, the club went beyond the FA's mandatory requirements and offered voluntary heart screenings. This offer was sadly not taken up at the time.' The family's suffering has been compounded by financial problems. Matija did not have life insurance and, unbeknownst to the family, other protection premiums were out of date. Matija's estate is yet to be released as the probate administrating process continues, meaning the family's financial issues — which were so extreme that at one stage they feared losing their family home — have not gone away. Some of those fears have been eased by a payout from the Professional Footballers' Association, the English game's players' union, which supports the next of kin when a player dies in service. Matija had two years remaining on his Millwall contract when he passed away. The club paid his June 2024 wages as well as outstanding bonuses that were owed, but then the payments stopped. Although there was no obligation to pay the remainder of the deal because there was no mention of what would happen in the event of a death, the family say that one of the clauses in the contract initially offered some hope. According to the family, the terms stated that in the event of temporary injury, the player will be paid up to 18 months' salary while recuperating, and in the event of permanent incapacity, it will be six months. The family, therefore, hoped a payout would follow, but none was forthcoming. Bojan was also expecting further agent fees from Millwall, staggered over six-month periods had Matija seen out his contract, but they ended after his death. Although relatively low in value, the funds would have been helpful in the immediate financial aftermath that had caused the family so much stress at a time when they were at their most vulnerable. Advertisement Millwall's stance is that, legally, they have fulfilled all their contractual obligations regarding Matija's contract and have 'exceeded obligations to provide financial support to the family'. As a result, they consider the matter of payment to be resolved. Millwall also retired Matija's No 20 shirt, unveiled a mural of him at their New Den stadium, planted a tree in his memory, and introduced the Save of the Season Award, named in his honour, that was recently won by an under-14 goalkeeper. During the traditional lap of honour after the final home game of the regular Championship season — a 1-0 win over Swansea on April 26 — players held up a Sarkic shirt in his memory. Millwall is a club with an unapologetically robust fanbase, their attitude summed up in the terrace anthem 'No one likes us, we don't care'. But there is a warm community side to them as well, and the Sarkic family were touched by the expressions of love from supporters, players and the coaching team, as well as the warm public words of the chairman, James Berylson. For all the difficulties in dealing with the club's hierarchy since Matija's death, they remain intensely grateful for that. 'When we came to The Den (Millwall's stadium), we felt immediately welcomed into the Millwall family,' Natalie adds. 'Personally, I felt very comfortable because seeing the Dockers Stand next to the River Thames reminded me of home, and several generations of my family lived close by and worked in the docks.' Both she and Bojan now wish to focus their attention on remembering their bright, bubbly son, whose life was taken too soon. 'I want to continue celebrating Matija's life,' Natalie says. 'That has to be the most important thing.' The sun is beaming down on the pitches at the British School of Brussels (BSB) that Matija, Oliver and older brother Danilo all attended as kids. This state-of-the-art facility in the picturesque town of Tervuren, just east of the Belgian capital, is hosting the first Matija Sarkic Memorial Tournament, organised by Danilo, a former professional footballer who graduated from the academy at French club Sochaux and now teaches PE as well as coaching at the school. Advertisement Five of Matija's former clubs — Anderlecht, Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Birmingham City, and Millwall — have sent representative teams for the under-13 contest and the connections of old friends bring back fond memories. Sarah Jones has worked at BSB for over 20 years and remembers Matija as an 'excited and energetic kid who was passionate about sport'. Former students discuss how he offered training tips when he visited during the summer months. For Bojan and Natalie, seeing Matija's former coaches, parents and team-mates — not to mention a montage of pictures of Matija on a screen in the school reception area — is an emotional moment. Both are strong characters who have forged successful careers, but this year has been like no other. Every occasion is a new experience without Matija. First it was his birthday, then the start of the football season, Christmas, and now the memorial tournament. A post shared by The British School of Brussels (@bsb_brussels) For two full days, it's warming to see so many people in attendance to mark Matija's life, especially those from within the school community. It was a celebration of his football achievements, but also his personality — the love of friendship, mischief and good coffee. 'In Brussels, a lot is expected of you between the ages of six and 15,' says Simon Crahay, another member of the 1997-born Anderlecht youth team and who also acted as a best man for Oliver alongside Matija. 'For us, it was just school and football. We had aims and ambitions, and for Mati, his dreams were just starting to come true.' Simon is like a part of the family. He hugs Matija's uncle, Rob, who enjoyed visiting new grounds to see his nephew in action. 'Millwall away days were always entertaining,' he laughs. When Matija was awarded man of the match against Belgium, Rob was bursting with pride. Bojan and Natalie are suffering, but they are determined to use the memorial tournament as a time to share positivity. Both laugh almost uncontrollably when they discuss Matija's untold journey into goalkeeping as a five-year-old. Advertisement Born in Grimsby, Natalie's home town, Matija spent his early childhood in London, before Bojan's work for the Montenegrin government took the family to Brussels when he was seven. Turning out for a Sunday league team, Chelham (a play on the names Chelsea and Fulham), Matija had to fill in as a goalkeeper because the team were a player short. After keeping a clean sheet in his first appearance, he was so distraught by the amount of goals he conceded in his second game that he hid in a nearby bush, crying, and refused to leave. 'We didn't think he would ever play again after that,' Bojan says, laughing. The setback, however, wasn't long-lasting. So besotted did he become by goalkeeping that he was modelling his game on the legendary Brazilian goalkeeper Claudio Taffarel by the age of 10. Bojan reckons he clocked up well over 200,000 miles travelling with his boys during their school years — 'and that was in one car,' he chuckles. Halfway through one long-distance trip, the teenage Matija and Oliver conveniently forgot to tell him they had failed an academic school year. 'Danilo was in the front giggling because he knew what was coming,' Bojan remembers. 'If I hadn't been so far into the journey, I'd have turned around and made them study at home all summer! Fortunately, they both made it as footballers.' For Simon, who met the twins at Anderlecht as an eight-year-old and would often join them on summer holidays, life has not been the same since Matija died. 'I don't have too many friends, so when I think about my future, I picture it with the few people who I am close to,' he says. 'Mati was one of those special people in my life. I'm not very good when I have time to think. The last 10 or so times I went running in the city before work, I started crying. When I exercise or do yoga, my mind is free and I think about him. It hurts.' Advertisement Every team arrives at the tournament armed with gifts and special messages. The Wolves under-13 team play with Sarkic on the back of their shirts; Villa's side present the family with a book of testimonials from staff and players at the club. Emi Martinez, the Argentina World Cup winner, writes 'from one goalkeeper to another', while club captain John McGinn remembers how Matija was 'always up for a night out' but wore 'some rascal outfits'. It was the messages from the under-13 team, though, that felt even more touching as each player created a laminated poster with facts about Matija's career. Fittingly, former Villa players Mile Jedinak and Gabby Agbonlahor had family members playing in the team: Matija was grateful to both for covering the cost of keeping his kit from the first senior matchday squad, a Championship game against Leeds United in 2017. There is even a poignant twist in the tournament being won by Royal Antwerp: the club's academy is now led by Jean Kindermans, previously in charge of Anderlecht's youth system when Matija was at the club. Kindermans was one of several influences on Matija's career, which was blossoming just before he died. Spanish club Sevilla had been monitoring his performances and that display against Belgium had only raised his profile further. 'To me, he left as a legend, but will always be remembered as a young man,' Bojan says of his son. On the balcony that overlooks the garden in the Sarkic home, Natalie opens her arms and says proudly, 'This is Matija's legacy. He always said he wanted this house for us all. The garden is, in some ways, another kind of shrine. In one corner, there is a punchbag and battle ropes used for outdoor training; another area of grass is referred to by Bojan as 'mini Wimbledon' and another 'as mini Wembley', a reference to the times his boys would squeeze in sporting activities at home. Advertisement Although Matija lived in the UK, he spent a large period during the Covid-19 pandemic with his family in Brussels. Some of those moments together were recognised as the best times. Bojan and Natalie frequently feel the emptiness left behind, an emotion compounded by the loss of the family cat of 20 years on the same day Matija died. 'Unusual timing,' Bojan says in a confused tone. Matija was buried with his grandparents, Beba and Alija, in the main cemetery in Podgorica, the Montenegrin capital. A remembrance service took place shortly after his death, followed by equivalent memorials at Millwall, Villa and Wolves. All were emotional ordeals, especially for Bojan. Going through old routines and seeing familiar faces at stadiums he knew so well — from car parking attendants, to stewards and admin staff — was draining, especially as so many had such positive memories to share about Matija. The anniversary of his death now looms large, which promises to dredge up more memories. Many will be golden; others, less so. The Sarkic family will confront it with the same quiet dignity they have met all the unbearable ordeals they have faced in the past year. And, when it is over, their pursuit of discovering whether their son's death could have been prevented will go on. 'I now feel very strongly about the need for all sportspeople at any level to have regular screening to help potentially prevent what happened to Matija,' Natalie says. Bojan agrees. 'I'm so surprised that professional football clubs do not carry out these checks every year,' he said. 'We need regulations, not recommendations, so this doesn't happen to other parents and families.'
Washington Post
18 hours ago
- Washington Post
More changes at Man United as Dave Brailsford scales back role with the troubled club
MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United's soccer operations are undergoing yet more change with one of its key figures Dave Brailsford scaling back his role with the troubled club, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the information has not been made public.
