A French commercial court has thrown out Cardiff City's £104 million (€120m) compensation claim against Nantes over the death of striker Emiliano Sala. The court ruled that Nantes bore no responsibility for the flight that crashed into the English Channel in January 2019, killing Sala and pilot David Ibbotson.
The decision ends a seven-year legal battle between the two clubs. The court also ordered Cardiff to pay Nantes €300,000 (£260,000) for moral damage, rejecting Cardiff’s argument that the club had suffered reputational harm.
Cardiff had sought compensation for loss of income and other damages, arguing that Sala’s impact could have helped the club avoid relegation from the Premier League. Cardiff were eventually relegated to League One in April 2025.
The court noted that the flight was arranged by agent Willie McKay, who Cardiff claimed was acting for Nantes. Nantes argued that only Mark McKay, Willie’s son, was the authorised agent for the transfer, and that the elder McKay was merely assisting his son.
David Henderson, who organised the flight, was convicted in 2021 of recklessly endangering an aircraft and sentenced to 18 months in prison. The judge found that Henderson intentionally breached Civil Aviation Authority regulations for profit, and that Ibbotson lacked the required commercial licence to fly at night.
