Cardiff City launching legal action over Emiliano Sala's death

Thursday 11 May 2023

Cardiff City say Nante “must be held responsible” for the Emiliano Sala tragedy as they pursue legal action against the French club.

Sala died after the small plane carrying him from France to Wales crashed into the waters off Alderney in January 2019, just days after a £15m. transfer had been agreed.

Cardiff were in the Premier League at the time, but were relegated that season.

The Bluebirds had been pursuing a case for damages through the Court of Arbitration in Sport, but a Swiss Federal Tribunal has decided it does not have jurisdiction.

“This isn’t a surprise, and the Club has already prepared separate legal action against them which will be started straightaway as FC Nantes must be held responsible for the accident organised by their agent,” said Cardiff in a statement.

“This will be to recover what the Club paid for Emiliano and additional damages for further consequential losses.”

After Fifa imposed a transfer embargo on the club, Cardiff paid what is believed to have been a £7m. instalment to Nantes. 

The consequential losses element is understood to refer to the cost of relegation, with Wales Online suggesting the lawsuit could be worth anything between £20m and £200m.

Cardiff have argued they do not owe anything to Nantes because Sala was not officially their player when the crash happened.

In March 2022, an inquest found that Sala was a passenger on a private Piper Malibu, being flown by a pilot, David Ibbotson, who did not have the correct licence to fly at night. The aircraft broke up when it crashed into the sea.

The pilot’s body has never been found.

The inquest heard how Sala had been overcome by toxic levels of carbon monoxide before the crash, most likely from a faulty exhaust system.

David Henderson, the man who organised the fight, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after he was found guilty of recklessly endangering the safety of an aircraft.