Cardiff City Loses £100m Emiliano Sala Compensation Case In French Court

Cardiff City has lost its legal bid for more than £100 million in compensation over the death of striker Emiliano Sala after a French judge dismissed the claim in Nantes on Monday.

Emiliano Sala, 28, and pilot David Ibbotson died when the light aircraft carrying them crashed into the English Channel on 21 January 2019.

The Argentine forward had been travelling to complete his move from FC Nantes to Cardiff, then a Premier League side, in a £15m transfer agreed just two days earlier.

The Welsh club sought more than €120 million in damages, arguing Sala’s arrival could have helped keep the team in the Premier League and prevented major financial losses.

The court rejected the claim and ordered Cardiff to pay around £400,000 in legal fees and moral damages to Nantes. The penalty is payable immediately, regardless of any appeal.

Cardiff has one month to decide whether to challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal of Rennes. Any appeal could take up to two years and would trigger a full retrial.

Capital Law, representing Cardiff, said the club would take time to consider its next step. Céline Jones said: “We deeply regret that the court didn’t recognise FC Nantes’ liability in this tragedy.

“We initiated these proceedings so that the full truth of this case would come to light in respect of Emiliano Sala’s memory.

“Today we note with great bitterness that the principles of transparency, integrity and safety in professional football have not prevailed in this decision.”

Jones added: “There’s not been any justice and I think that’s difficult for the family.

“I can tell the Cardiff fans the club did what it considered was right, it tried as hard as it could to seek justice and has not been successful in obtaining it yet.”

Sala’s mother, Mercedes Taffarel, attended the hearing. Nantes’ lawyers Jérôme Marsaudon and Louis Marie Absil welcomed the verdict, saying: “FC Nantes is in no way responsible for the tragedy that occurred, and we are pleased that the court has heard our case and confirmed this in very clear terms.”