A commercial court in France has dismissed Cardiff City's claim for more than £100 million in compensation following the death of Emiliano Sala. The Welsh club had sought €122 million (£106 million) from Nantes for loss of income and other damages, seven years after the plane crash that killed the Argentine striker.
Rulings by FIFA, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and Switzerland's supreme court have all gone against Cardiff in their legal dispute with Nantes since Sala died in January 2019. The 28-year-old was signed by Cardiff from Nantes for a club-record fee of £15 million, but died when the single-engine Piper Malibu aircraft crashed into the sea near Guernsey. The pilot, David Ibbotson, also died.
The court ruled that Nantes were not at fault in relation to the flight and that Cardiff did not sustain reputational damages. It added that Nantes sustained moral damage and ordered Cardiff to pay €300,000. Cardiff had estimated their losses at €122 million after an analysis by an expert appointed by the club, arguing that Nantes was responsible because the flight was organised by intermediary Willie McKay, enlisted by the French club. However, the court found that McKay served as an agent for Nantes but did not organise the flight and was unaware of its illegality.
“It’s difficult to understand how the court considers that Willie McKay did not organise the flight, given that he himself said that he did,” said Céline Jones, a lawyer for Cardiff. She added: “We initiated this process so that the full truth would come to light in this case and out of respect for the memory of Emiliano Sala. Today, we bitterly observe that the principles of transparency, integrity, and safety in professional football have not prevailed in this decision.”
Nantes, struggling in the Ligue 1 relegation zone, welcomed the decision. “Nantes are in no way responsible for the incident that occurred,” said the club’s lawyer, Jérôme Marsaudon. “We are pleased the court listened to us and confirmed this in clear terms.” In 2022, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Sala’s transfer had been finalised at the time of his death, and the following year FIFA ordered Cardiff to pay Nantes the balance of the transfer fee, just over €11 million.
