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Seven years after the tragic incident, the Emiliano Sala case is entering its decisive phase. The Commercial Court in Nantes is set to announce its ruling on Monday regarding the financial dispute between Cardiff City and FC Nantes.
The Argentine striker, then 28, died on January 21, 2019, in a plane crash over the English Channel. He was en route to join his new team after his €17 million transfer from Nantes to Cardiff had been finalized. However, Sala never got the chance to make his debut for the Welsh side.
The conflict took a new turn in 2023 when Cardiff filed a lawsuit in the French court, seeking compensation for lost revenue and other damages stemming from the player's death. The club alleges that Nantes, through agent Willie McKay, was involved in organizing the private flight.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had previously ruled that the transfer was valid at the time of the incident. Nevertheless, Cardiff is now focusing directly on the organization of the flight as the source of liability.
“Willie McKay could not have been unaware of the illegality of the flight,” stated Cardiff’s lawyer, Olivier Loizon, during the closing arguments in December. According to his account, the agent acted with “negligence” and “carelessness.” He insisted, “Whatever the ultimate cause of the incident, Emiliano Sala should not have been on that flight.”
Nantes' defense, however, maintains a different argument. They point to David Henderson as solely criminally responsible, who has already been convicted in the United Kingdom for hiring a pilot without the necessary qualifications and for transporting a passenger without a valid permit.
On Monday, in Nantes, a judicial chapter will close, one that has continued to echo since that fateful night over the English Channel.
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