How Inter Milan responded after star hit and killed elderly man in tragic crash

Josep Martinez, a goalkeeper who plays for Inter Milan, was involved in a tragic road incident on Tuesday when he hit an elderly man while he was driving to training

Inter Milan goalkeeper Josep Martinez has been given time off by the club and offered psychological support after his car struck and killed an elderly man. The tragic road incident took place on Tuesday morning.

Martinez, 25, was driving to Inter’s training complex in Fenegro when an 81-year-old man in an electric wheelchair appeared to veer into the goalkeeper’s car. After the collision, Martinez got out of his vehicle and tried to help the man, who has been identified as Paolo Saibene.

“The car driven by Inter goalkeeper Josep Martinez hit a man who was in an electric wheelchair travelling on a cycle path alongside a road in the province of Como,” Italian police told Reuters. “Martinez stopped his car in order to help the man, who died before the arrival of the ambulance.”

Initial investigations by the Carabinieri, one of Italy’s police forces, suggest that the man could have suffered a sudden medical episode moments before the impact. Emergency services including an air ambulance were called to the scene but Saibene was sadly pronounced dead in hospital.

Inter cancelled manager Cristian Chivu’s press conference ahead of their home game against Fiorentina on Wednesday. Martinez was due to be named on the bench but he now won’t be involved in the Serie A match.

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According to Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Spaniard has been given a week off to recover from the incident. Martinez’s team-mates and staff have stayed in constant contact with him, with the 25-year-old having gone through routine drug and alcohol tests at Saronno hospital.

“Unfortunately, a serious and delicate event has occurred,” Inter president Beppe Marotta said on Tuesday. “Our deepest sympathies are clearly with the family of the deceased, and we also feel for our player, whom we know very well.

“These are situations and misfortunes that, unfortunately, are part of everyday life, but I hope that we can also benefit from this tragic situation.”

Martinez spent time at Barcelona in his youth before joining Las Palmas and making his professional debut in 2019. He signed for RB Leipzig two years later and was picked up by Genoa in 2022.

After a couple of seasons with the Italian side, Inter signed him for €15million (£13.2m). Martinez has made 12 appearances for the Nerazzurri so far.

Two of them came this season. Chivu dropped first-choice goalkeeper Yann Sommer for a brief period last month, handing Martinez the gloves in wins against Sassuolo and Cagliari.

He made his debut for Spain in a friendly with Lithuania in June 2021.

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