A French commercial court has dismissed the claims for compensation made by Welsh club Cardiff City regarding the tragic death of Emiliano Sala, following a ruling released on Monday, more than seven years after the incident involving the plane crash that took the life of the Argentine forward.
In a protracted legal battle, Cardiff sought over €120 million ($138 million, £104 million) from Sala’s former club, Nantes, after facing a series of unfavorable legal outcomes.
The club’s pursuit for compensation has faced setbacks from FIFA, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and Switzerland’s Supreme Court since Sala’s passing in January 2019.
Sala, aged 28, had been acquired by Cardiff from Nantes for a club-record fee of €17 million in a bid to avoid relegation from the lucrative Premier League. However, the single-engine Piper Malibu aircraft he was traveling in crashed into the sea near Guernsey as he made his way to begin his career with Cardiff. The pilot, David Ibbotson, also perished in the crash.
The court concluded that Nantes was not responsible for the flight, stating that Cardiff did not experience any damage to its reputation. It noted that Cardiff’s “exorbitant claims” had already been addressed by previous courts and acknowledged the moral damage suffered by Nantes. Consequently, the court ordered Cardiff to pay €300,000 in damages, along with an additional €180,000 in legal fees.
Following the crash, Cardiff challenged the finalization of the transfer agreement with Nantes, but FIFA determined that it had received the necessary international registration documentation.
In 2021, David Henderson, the businessman who arranged the flight, was convicted of endangering the safety of an aircraft. Henderson had enlisted Ibbotson to pilot the plane during his absence; however, Ibbotson lacked a commercial pilot’s license, did not have night-flying qualifications, and had an expired rating for the Piper Malibu.
Prior to the commercial court hearing in Nantes last year, Cardiff expressed its intention for Nantes to be held responsible for the errors made by Willie McKay, a football agent involved in organizing the flight. Cardiff argued that McKay acted on behalf of Nantes, a claim which the French club denied.
Ultimately, the court found that while McKay did serve as an agent for Nantes, he was not responsible for organizing the flight and was unaware of its illegalities.
Since being relegated from the Premier League at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season, Cardiff currently competes in the third tier of the English football league system.