Cardiff City lost their appeal against FIFA’s decision to pay the first instalment of Emiliano Sala’s 15 million pounds transfer fee to Nantes. The Argentine died aged 28 in a plane crash over the English Channel in January 2019 while on his way from France to join his new club.
Earlier this year, a three-person panel from the Court of Arbitration for Sport heard the appeal in Lausanne. Cardiff must now pay Nantes the first instalment of 5.3 million.
Cardiff claimed they were not obligated to pay any of the fee because the player was not officially their player at the time of his death, and they refused to make interim payments because the agreement was not legally binding.
FIFA ruled that Cardiff must pay Nantes the first instalment of 5.3 million. If the Championship club fails to pay, FIFA’s players’ status committee would impose a three-window transfer ban. Cardiff filed an appeal with CAS after FIFA ruled against them. The hearing was held in March after several delays.
In response to the Cas ruling, the Bluebirds said:
“Cardiff City is disappointed by the decision of the Court of Arbitration in Sport.
“The award fails to decide the crucial question of FC Nantes’ (and its agents’) liability for the crash, which will therefore have to be decided in another forum. Once the club’s lawyers have digested the reasons for the decision we expect to appeal and will not be making any payments to FC Nantes in the meanwhile.”
The decision ends three years of court proceedings by rejecting City’s final appeal, which means the Bluebirds will have to pay Sala’s transfer fee in three instalments. His previous club Bordeaux will receive 50% of the sum.
Sala died on January 21, 2019, two days after Cardiff announced his signing when the light aircraft he was travelling in from France crashed into the English Channel. In February of that year, his body was discovered and recovered from the wreckage of the plane. The body of pilot David Ibbotson has yet not been discovered.
