As Cardiff City begin Emiliano Sala court case, who was Nantes footballer and how did he die?
A legal dispute between Cardiff City and FC Nantes over the transfer of Emiliano Sala has officially reached the courtroom.
The late footballer was moving to Cardiff from the Ligue 1 side in 2019 when he died en route to signing for the club.
That season culminated in the Bluebirds finishing 18th in the Premier League, and subsequently being relegated. With goals being few and far between, it was hoped that the January signing of Sala would help to keep the side afloat.
Since Sala’s death, tensions between both clubs have been relentless. Nantes has demanded Cardiff pay the transfer fee, while the Welsh side are trying to claim damages - insisting that the Argentine’s addition would have saved them from relegation.
The dispute began immediately after the crash, when Cardiff refused to pay the first instalment of the transfer fee until questions of accountability were answered. FIFA stepped in and ordered the club to pay. Cardiff appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), but the ruling was upheld.
Cardiff paid the first instalment in January 2023, which lifted an EFL transfer embargo, and they later settled the remaining balance.
In April 2024 Cardiff filed a complaint in Nantes seeking €120.2m in damages, arguing that relegation in 2019 cost them both money and reputation.
How did Emiliano Sala die?
Having agreed to join Cardiff City in the January transfer window of 2019, Sala needed to fly over to Wales to begin life at his new club.
The 28-year-old forward, and pilot David Ibbotson, died when their plane - a Piper PA-46 Malibu light aircraft - crashed into the English Channel off the coast of Alderney.
The crash took place on January 19, and the wreckage was found 13 days later. Sala was confirmed dead on February 7.
The man who arranged the flight, operator David Henderson, was later found guilty of endangering an aircraft and sentenced to 18 months in prison.