UK Edition
Cardiff and Nantes in shock over Emiliano Sala, the 'polite, nice, adorable boy, adored by everyone'
Cardiff City and supporters described their profound sense of shock on Tuesday night as fears grew that Emiliano Sala, who only signed for the club on Friday, had been killed in a plane crash over the English Channel.
The 28-year-old Argentinian is believed to have been killed with his pilot after a light aircraft chartered by the club encountered troubles after taking off in France on Monday night. The striker, signed to help save struggling Cardiff from relegation, had flown out to France from Wales on a round trip on Monday to bid farewell to his former teammates at Ligue 1 team Nantes.
Instead of welcoming his record £15million arrival, manager Neil Warnock found himself sending his squad home for the day. Ken Choo, Cardiff's chief executive, said the club was in deep distress, but they were praying for a miracle.
"We were very shocked upon hearing the news that the plane had gone missing," said Choo, who had played a part in welcoming grieving Leicester City fans after the Foxes' helicopter tragedy just three months ago. "We expected Emiliano to arrive [on Monday] night into Cardiff and [Tuesday] was due to be his first day with the team. Our owner, Tan Sri Vincent Tan, and chairman, Mehmet Dalman, are all very distressed about the situation. We made the decision first thing this morning to call off training with the thoughts of the squad, management staff and the entire Club with Emiliano and the pilot."
Five aircraft and two lifeboats continued scoured more than 1,100sq miles of water and, on Tuesday night, rescue sources confirmed plane parts and seats had been spotted in the water.
On Friday, Sala had been posing alongside adoring Cardiff fans after putting pen to paper on his three year deal. The same six young men who met Sala on Friday night returned to the ground on Tuesday to pay their respect, leaving scarves and flowers. Oliver Watson, 17, from Barry, said. “We spotted Emiliano’s car in the car park at the weekend,” Watson said. “We saw him in the window of the stadium signing paperwork, so we hung around to try and meet him....He couldn’t stop smiling. It was a brief encounter, but he asked how we were and that was really nice. When I saw the news, I just couldn’t believe it. It was shock. I can’t believe it’s happened. He hasn’t even played a game for the club, but he signed for us which means he’ll always be part of the club. We’ll never forget him.”
Reports in France claimed he had told Nicolas Pallois, a team-mate who drove him to the airport, that the trip "had been bumpy and he feared his safety for the journey back". However, Sala looked happy hours before take off, posting pictures with his former teammates. On one he poignantly wrote "the last goodbye".
France’s civil aviation authority confirmed Sala had been on board the plane when it went missing over Guernsey on its way to the Welsh capital from Nantes.
Nantes president Waldemar Kita said Sala was "polite, nice, adorable boy, adored by everyone". Saying the whole club was praying for those on board, Mr Kita said: "I'm thinking of his friends, his family, I'm still in hope, he's a fighter, it's not over, maybe he's somewhere, waiting for some news that we hope will be positive, we are very touched by all the support received since this morning."
The club, who play in yellow, called on supporters to join a vigil on Tuesday evening in the city to drop a yellow tulip at the foot of a fountain. Sala's parents, Horatio and Mercedes, have spoken to Argentine media after being informed of their son's plane disappearing. His father Horatio told Argentine TV station Channel 5 News: "A friend told me, I did not know anything, I’m in Rosario, I’m desperate, I hope everything goes well." His mother, Mercedes, said: "The plane is from the president of Cardiff City, they informed us that the plane had disappeared and that they were looking for it."
Sala's former club, Chamois Niortais FC, has tweeted that the whole team is thinking of him as the search continues. "Tell us it's a joke... Emi.... All the Team Chamois thinking of you," tweeted the club's official account.
Leading sports lawyers told Telegraph Sport the financial situation over the club record deal could become complex for Cardiff and Nantes in the weeks ahead. Richard Santy, a partner at Mills & Reeve, said "usually clubs would have insurance in place to cover this sort of situation", however Alex Haffner, a partner at Fladgate LLP, said "it's an unprecedented situation in terms of the timings." Both lawyers agreed Cardiff may look to renegotiate with Nantes if they have agreed to pay the £15million fee in instalments. Mr Haffner also suggested there may be complications if paperwork had yet to be cleared at Fifa. Cardiff will also be urgently checking their insurance arrangements, he added.