Cardiff to sue Nantes for up to £200million over Emiliano Sala transfer

10 May 2023 , 10:01

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Emiliano Sala died in a plane crash four years ago (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Cardiff have confirmed they will take legal action against Nantes over the Emiliano Sala tragedy - claiming the French side "must be held responsible" for the accident.

Sala died in a plane crash in January 2019, just days after completing a club-record £15million move from Nantes to Cardiff. The Welsh club were playing in the Premier League at the time and suffered relegation that season, finishing two points short of safety.

Cardiff, who narrowly avoided relegation to League One this term, are suing Nantes to reclaim the transfer fee and receive "additional damages for further consequential losses". It's believed they are referring to the financial impact of their Premier League exit.

Cardiff have released a statement on the legal action via their website. It reads: "The Swiss Federal Tribunal has decided that the Court of Arbitration in Sport doesn’t have jurisdiction to deal with Cardiff City's claim for damages against FC Nantes.

"This [the verdict] isn’t a surprise, and the club has already prepared separate legal action against them which will be started straightaway as FC Nantes must be held responsible for the accident organised by their agent.

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"This will be to recover what the club paid for Emiliano and additional damages for further consequential losses."

Sala was signed by Cardiff in January 2019 (AFP/Getty Images)

Wales Online suggest the lawsuit could be worth anything between £20m and £200m. According to Deloitte in 2020, promotion to the Premier League leads to an increase in revenue of at least £135m, a figure that rises to £265m if an immediate relegation is avoided.

The Bluebirds were promoted to the Premier League in May 2018, only to suffer an immediate relegation 12 months later. They have since finished fifth, eighth, 18th and 21st in the Championship, with the team staying up by just five points this season.

FIFA imposed a transfer embargo on Cardiff in December after they refused to pay the first instalment of the £15m fee they agreed with Nantes. This was lifted when the struggling Welsh club stumped up the cash, believed to be £7m, a month later.

Cardiff insist they do not owe Nantes a penny because Sala was not officially their player when the tragedy unfolded. Sala was just 28 years old when the flight crashed in the English channel. Pilot David Ibbotson, 59, is also thought to have died in the incident. Sala's body was salvaged in February after a private operation, but Ibbotson's body has never been found.

David Henderson, the man who organised the fight, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after he was found guilty of recklessly endangering the safety of an aircraft. Ibbotson regularly flew for Henderson but his license to fly the Piper Malibu plane had expired.

Nantes have not publicly responded to Cardiff's legal action.

Tom Blow