Emiliano Sala: Cardiff Preparing to Sue Nantes for Up to £200M in Damages Over Plane Tragedy

Emiliano Sala: Cardiff Preparing to Sue Nantes for Up to £200M in Damages Over Plane Tragedy

Elijah Odetokun
updated at May 10, 2023 at 4:04 PM
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  • Argentinian forward Emiliano Sala died in a plane crash on January 21, 2019.
  • He had just completed a move from French club Nantes to Cardiff who were in the Premier League at that time
  • The two clubs have been embroiled in unending legal battles over the settlement of fees involving the transfer

Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala died in a plane crash on January 21, 2019, but his unfortunate death's aftermath is still moving like wildfire.

Cardiff City announced they had signed the 28-year-old from French club Nantes for £15m in the January transfer window to help the club avoid relegation.

He had been unveiled and completed his medicals, but he returned to France to say goodbye to his teammates and pick up his personal belongings but unfortunately never made it back.

Emiliano Sala, Cardiff, Cardiff City Stadium, Fred Keenor, Nantes.
Tributes to Emiliano Sala in front of the Cardiff City Stadium after he went missing in 2019. Photo by Matthew Horwood.
Source: Getty Images

According to BBC Sports, there are disputes over the payment of his transfer fees four years after FIFA imposed a three-window transfer embargo on the Welsh club for refusing to pay the first instalment of over £7m.

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Cardiff set to sue Nantes

As reported by Daily Star, the championship club is set to sue the French club for damages after failing in their appeal to the Court of Arbitration in Sports, CAS, to overturn FIFA's ruling on the payment.

CAS's decision cannot be overturned because it is under Swiss jurisdiction, as a Swiss Federal Tribunal ruled, where Cardiff further appealed to dismiss FIFA's ruling.

The Bluebirds are not letting it go and will institute a lawsuit in a civil court against the French club, as reported by Wales Online, with damages ranging between £20m and £200m.

The £20m was the initial cost of the transfer, while the larger fee was the financial rewards Cardiff would have been entitled to had they avoided relegation, which they believed Sala's contribution would have helped.

Kane hints at Tottenham stay

Elsewhere, Sports Brief reported that Harry Kane has dropped a strong hint he could stay at Tottenham next season and fulfil the last year of his contract, which expires in 2024.

The England striker is yet to win a trophy in his career and is a subject of transfer interest from Chelsea and Manchester United, but his recent words on what it takes to get Tottenham back to their best suggest he is set to stay.

Authors
Elijah Odetokun photo
Elijah Odetokun
Elijah Odetokun is Reuters-trained journalist with three years of experience having previously worked at Daily Times Nigeria, OmaSports and El Futbolero.
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Transfers