Watch: Valletta defender saves rival Ħamrun player's life mid-match

Updated 6.12pm

A high-stakes FA Trophy quarter-final between Valletta and Ħamrun Spartans took a backseat on Wednesday when Valletta defender Sava Radić jumped into action to save the life of rival Mattias Garcia, who was lying unconscious on the ground.

The incident happened when Valletta’s Thomas Melillo and Ħamrun’s Mattias Garcia collided mid-air while challenging for a header.

While Melillo recovered quickly, Garcia remained motionless on the turf.

Radić, another Valletta player who comes from a family of doctors, told Times of Malta on Friday he realised immediately that Garcia was in a life-threatening position and sprinted towards him.

"I saw he wasn’t moving and I ran straight to him because I knew he might have swallowed his tongue. You must act quickly in these situations," Radić said.

"I opened his mouth and tried to find his tongue and pull it out."

In the struggle to clear the airway, the unconscious Garcia instinctively bit Radić's finger, but the defender refused to let go until he released the tongue and noticed the Ħamrun midfielder began breathing again.

"We're rivals on the pitch, but in that moment you just see a human being who needs help," he said.

The medical teams from both clubs reached Garcia seconds later, but the crucial initial intervention had already been made.

Valletta FC's senior vice president and medical lead doctor Pierre Farrugia, who had initially rushed to check on Melillo as is his duty, redirected his attention to the Ħamrun player when he saw the gravity of the situation.

"By then, Radić had already intervened and he managed to release the airway and avoided further complications," Farrugia told Times of Malta. 

"Every second counts in these circumstances. At that point, you don’t see gear colours—you just see a healthy 30-year-old who is in distress and needs your help."

A message of gratitude

Garcia, who suffered a concussion but has since recovered, reached out to Radić the following day to express his thanks.

"He sent me a message to thank me. He said he doesn’t remember what happened but his family told him all about it," Radić said.

"He also apologised for biting my finger. I said he shouldn’t worry about my finger - the most important thing is that he’s ok now."

The Ħamrun Spartans football club also sent a formal letter of thanks to their rival club Valletta FC and praised Radić for his act of bravery.

"His timely action was a commendable gesture of unity and a strong reminder of the importance of health and safety in our game," the letter read.

While Radić's intervention was life-saving, medical professionals often advise against placing fingers or objects into the mouth of an unconscious person, specifically because people in these situations tend to bite forcefully, unintentionally.

Modern protocols suggest that the "swallowed tongue" is actually a myth. Rather, the tongue relaxes and blocks the airway. To clear it safely, responders are encouraged to use the head-tilt, chin-lift manoeuvre or to place the individual in the recovery position by rolling them onto their side.

For individuals who have sustained head injury, jaw thrust is recommended to avoid moving the patient unnecessarily.

These methods allow gravity to move the tongue forward and any fluids to drain, protecting both the patient from further injury and the rescuer from the clench reflex that Radić experienced.

But his heroics have already sparked a move for official honours as well, with Nationalist Party minority councillors in Valletta formally proposing that Radić be recognised during the city's annual foundation day celebrations on March 28.

In a joint letter to the Local Council, minority leader Ylenia Montfort, alongside councillors Roberta Bonello Felice and Vince Fabri, insisted that Radić’s "humanitarian and sporting gesture" deserves a formal tribute.

'Learn safe first aid'

The Malta Resuscitation Council commended Radic’s swift reaction but urged people to learn safe first aid and undertake basic life support training.

While recognising and praising the footballer’s intention to help, the council said that placing fingers inside the mouth of an unconscious person is “not recommended and can be unsafe”.

“Doing so can cause injury to the casualty or the rescuer and may obstruct the airway rather than protect it.”

They also clarified what they called “a common misconception”, pointing out that an unconscious person cannot “swallow their tongue” and that pulling a person’s tongue forward is “unnecessary and may cause harm”.

“When a person becomes unconscious, the correct response is to check responsiveness and breathing, ensure the airway is clear without inserting fingers blindly into the mouth, and place the person in the recovery position if they are breathing normally while waiting for medical assistance,” the council said.

“If breathing is absent or abnormal, immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) should be started and emergency services contacted.”

“This incident highlights two important realities,” a spokesperson for the Malta Resuscitation Council said. “First, people do want to help when someone collapses or is injured. Second, proper training ensures that help is delivered in the safest and most effective way possible.”

Training programmes such as the GOAL (Go and Save a Life) and Basic Life Support courses teach participants how to recognise cardiac arrest, perform high-quality CPR, use automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and manage unconscious casualties safely.