Cardiff demands 100 million euros from Nantes because of Sala killed by plane crash

Cardiff City is demanding 100 million euros from FC Nantes in a lawsuit as compensation for the death of striker Emiliano Sala in a plane crash in 2019. Nantes’ lawyers confirmed Cardiff’s suit to AFP news agency on Monday. The amount is substantially higher than the transfer fee of some 17 million euros.

Cardiff acquired the Argentine striker from the French club in January 2019. On January 21, two days after he signed his contract, the 28-year-old footballer died in a plane crash on his way to Wales.

The clubs tried in consultation to find a solution on the financial settlement, but were unsuccessful, whereupon Nantes went to world football federation FIFA with the case in late February 2019. The latter ordered Cardiff to pay the first six million of the initial transfer fee of 17 million euros, and sports tribunal CAS confirmed that ruling.

“After being clearly rejected by FIFA, CAS and the Swiss Federal Court, Cardiff is opening a new absurd legal front,” say Nantes’ lawyers. “Cardiff first estimated the alleged damages at 17 million and that claim was rejected. Now, before a civil court, Cardiff estimates the same damages at 100 million euros.”

A British businessman who arranged the flight that would fly professional footballer Emiliano Sala to Cardiff in 2019 was previously sentenced to a year and a half in prison. Henderson asked the 59-year-old pilot for the flight, although he was not licensed for commercial flights.

The case between Cardiff and Nantes is scheduled for June 22.