The English tabloids write that Cardiff would have asked Nantes for 95 million euros as compensation for the death of the footballer Emiliano Sala, who died in a plane crash in the transfer from France to Wales. But the Welsh club denies it with a press release in which it is known that “Cardiff City Football Club wishes to clarify that there is nothing true in today’s press articles relating to a compensation claim made against FC Nantes”.
According to what Mirror and Sun write, the compensation would have been motivated by the relegation to the Championship of Cardiff which would have been consequent to the failure of poor Sala among the players available to manager Neil Warnock. To this damage would be added the loss of revenues from television rights, advertising and sponsorships. This thesis is supported by the author of the book “The truth – The murder of Emiliano Sala”, Who stated that the Welsh club allegedly claimed in a hearing of the Court of Arbitration for Sport that they were entitled to compensation because Sala’s death cost them relegation from the Premier League. Still reading the tabloids, Cardiff would blame the French club for the decision of Sala agent Willie McKay to charter a plane on their own. Today, however, here is the firm position of Cardiff: nothing is true.
The Argentine striker was killed at the age of 29, with the pilot, on 21 January 2019 following the crash in the English Channel of the single-engine plane that was taking him to Cardiff to sign the contract with the team to which he had been sold. The two teams then entered into conflict, leading to a legal dispute, over the payments of the player’s transfer fees. Fifa had agreed to Nantes, ordering Cardiff to pay the sum of 18 million euros, otherwise they would have been banned from trading in the next three windows. However, the Welsh club had appealed.