Footballers back calls for private search for Sala

Sunday 27 January 2019

A number of high profile footballers have pledged money to pay for another search of the Channel to try and find missing footballer Emiliano Sala and his pilot, Dave Ibbotson.

The pair haven't been seen or heard from since the plane they were flying in went off radar on Monday night as it passed near Les Casquets lighthouse.

While it is unclear what happened, with lots of theories being reported in the national media and shared on social media, it is known that Sala was flying from Nantes to Cardiff so he could make the next move in his footballing career.

He had been signed by Cardiff City for a club record of £15million. He had gone back to the French city so he could say goodbye to his friends before getting on board the Piper Malibu, piloted by Ibbotson, to make the cross Channel flight to Wales to begin training with his new team the following day.

La ultima ciao @FCNantespic.twitter.com/SV1dNHbYYH

— Emiliano Sala (@EmilianoSala1) January 21, 2019

Above: One of Emiliano Sala's final tweets before the plane he was a passenger in disappeared. 

The single engined plane took off, reportedly after up to four failed attempts, at 19:30 on Monday night before making contact with Air Traffic Control in Jersey at 20:30 when it then disappeared off radar.

Fortunately, the Channel Islands Air Search team had just finished a regular training session when the call came in that a plane with two passengers needed help so the volunteers were in the air and flying over Les Casquets within 30 minutes. Alderney lifeboat had launched by 20:50 and Guernsey's by 21:00.

They were joined by other planes, helicopters and boats in the search which eventually lasted three days despite cold temperatures and bad weather at times, before Guernsey's Harbourmaster announced on Thursday afternoon that the search had found nothing of note and that it would be stood down permanently. 

Among those not happy with that decision are the family of Emiliano Sala. His sister has been in Cardiff and is reported to have said she wanted to travel to Guernsey to go to the area where the plane carrying her brother is believed to have crashed.

Romina Sala told reporters at a press conference in Cardiff that the search had been called off too soon and should be relaunched, as well as in a video which has been widely shared on Twitter.

Emiliano Sala’s sister Romina urges rescue workers to continue the search for her brother. Please share this message! #NoDejenDeBuscar #PrayForSala
pic.twitter.com/jFctxrVSMa

— Ronaldinho Gaucho (@RonaldinhoG10) January 25, 2019

Above: A video of Romina Sala has been widely shared on Twitter. 

Her calls to resume the search have been echoed by others, including fellow Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi.

He is reported to have backed a gofundme page set up by agents Sport Cover saying the money raised would enable Emiliano Sala's relatives, "via a specialised organisation, to resume research in the Channel early this Saturday morning. Two boats are leading the operations." The page also said; "its sole objective, through a specialized non-profit organization, is to help the family of Emiliano and pilot Dave Ibbotson continue the research."

That appeal had raised more than €250,000 by Saturday night but it was not yet apparent that the search had resumed.

Pictured top: The gofundme page set up to fund further searches for the plane carrying Emiliano Sala and Dave Ibbotson.