Cardiff City lose £100m compensation claim against French side Nantes over death of Emiliano Sala
The long-running dispute saw a court rule in favour of Nantes
Cardiff City's compensation claim of over £100million against French side Nantes after the death of Emiliano Sala in a plane crash has been dismissed by a court.
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The 28-year-old died in January 2019 alongside pilot David Ibbotson, 59, when the light aircraft they were travelling in from France crashed into the English Channel, two days after Cardiff had announced the signing of the Argentine forward from Nantes.
The Welsh club had previously sought damages of more than £100 million from the French outfit in a negligence claim, covering the Argentinian striker’s £15 million transfer fee and losses of other potential earnings.
But the Tribunal de Commerce de Nantes ruled on Monday that Nantes were not liable for negligence over Sala’s death.
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Cardiff have been ordered to pay Nantes 300,000 euros in damages, and an additional 180,000 euros – coming to a total sum of 480,000 euros (£416,594).
They had claimed Nantes was responsible because the flight had been organised by football agent William “Willie” McKay, who was enlisted by the French club.
A statement issued by Cardiff FC on Monday read: "We deeply regret that the court did not recognise FC Nantes’ liability in this tragedy.
"We initiated these proceedings so that the full truth of this case could come to light, in respect of Emiliano Sala’s memory.
"How is it possible that, in the end, FC Nantes — which never contributed to the support fund we launched in memory of Emiliano — paid more money to Willie McKay (1.5 million euros) than to the Sala family?
"More than ever, there is an urgent need to strengthen safety and ethical standards in the management and protection of players, so that such a tragedy can never happen again.
"The world of football must take a hard look at itself."
Speaking to reporters outside of court following the decision, Jerome Marsaudon, representing FC Nantes, said: "We are very pleased with the tribunal’s decision, which attests to what we’ve been maintaining for years.
"The tribunal said it loud and clear and ordered Cardiff to pay exemplary damages. FC Nantes are in no way responsible for the tragedy that occurred and we are pleased that the tribunal has heard us and confirmed this in clear terms which, we hope, will put an end to this matter so that everyone can move on."
In 2021, businessman David Henderson was jailed for 18 months after he was convicted of endangering the safety of the aircraft, after a trial at Cardiff Crown Court.
He had also pleaded guilty to another charge of trying to arrange a flight for a passenger without permission or authorisation.