Cardiff’s $138 million lawsuit regarding Emiliano Sala’s passing rejected
A commercial court in France rejected the claims for compensation made by Welsh club Cardiff regarding the death of Emiliano Sala in a ruling released on Monday, over seven years after the plane crash that resulted in the loss of the Argentine forward.
In a protracted legal battle, Cardiff sought over €120 million ($138m, £104m) from the player’s previous club Nantes following a series of earlier legal defeats for the Welsh side.
Decisions from FIFA, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and Switzerland’s highest court have been unfavorable to Cardiff in its legal contention with Nantes since Sala’s passing in January 2019.
The 28-year-old Sala was acquired by Cardiff from Nantes for a club-record fee of €17m as the team aimed to avoid relegation from the lucrative Premier League. However, the single-engine Piper Malibu aircraft carrying the Argentine player from France to commence his career with Cardiff tragically crashed into the sea near the Channel Island of Guernsey. The pilot, David Ibbotson, also perished in the incident.
The court determined that Nantes bore no responsibility regarding the flight and that Cardiff did not experience reputational harm. It noted that Cardiff’s “extravagant claims” had already been addressed by other courts and that Nantes had suffered moral damage. The court mandated Cardiff to pay €300,000 in damages, in addition to €180,000 for legal expenses.
Following the crash, Cardiff contested that the transfer agreement with Nantes had not been completed. FIFA ruled that it had received the necessary international registration documents.
The individual who arranged the flight was convicted of jeopardizing aircraft safety in 2021. David Henderson, the aircraft operator who organized the flight, had requested Ibbotson to pilot the plane while he was on holiday. Ibbotson, who frequently flew for Henderson, lacked a commercial pilot’s license and did not have the qualification to fly at night, and his authorization to operate the Piper Malibu had lapsed.
Prior to the hearing at Nantes’ commercial court last year, Cardiff expressed its desire for Nantes to be held liable for “the faults committed” by Willie McKay, a football agent who assisted in arranging the flight. Cardiff contended that he acted on behalf of Nantes, while the French club denied any misconduct.
The court concluded that McKay acted as an agent for Nantes, but he did not organize the flight and was unaware of its illegality.
Cardiff was relegated from the Premier League at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season and is currently competing in the third tier of the English football league system.
