Cardiff City's £104m Sala claim dismissed by Nantes court
Cardiff City's £104m Sala claim dismissed by Nantes court
A Nantes court threw out Cardiff City's £104m damages claim tied to Emiliano Sala's death, ordering the club to pay about £400,000 in fees.
A Nantes court has dismissed Cardiff City's claim for more than €120m (£104m) in damages linked to the death of Emiliano Sala, while ordering the Welsh club to pay around £400,000 in legal fees and moral damages to FC Nantes. Sala, 28, died when the Piper Malibu crashed into the English Channel on the night of 21 January 2019, while on his way to join Cardiff City from Nantes for a £15m transfer. The latest chapter in a protracted dispute saw the court ruling that Cardiff’s case for loss of income and other damages—based on the belief that Sala could have kept the club in the Premier League—lacked sufficient grounds to proceed. The decision, handed down in Nantes, means Cardiff’s long-running damages pursuit has been effectively closed at this stage. The penalty is payable immediately, regardless of any potential appeal. Cardiff City remains to decide whether to challenge the ruling, with an appeal window of up to one month. Capital Law, which represents the club, said it would take time to reflect on the verdict and determine next steps. A follow-up appeal would go to the Court of Appeal of Rennes and could take up to two years, potentially leading to a full re-examination of the case. FC Nantes, represented in the case, will receive the awarded costs and moral damages as part of the ruling. Cardiff’s lawyers have indicated they will consider the judgment in detail before announcing any course of action. This decision marks another development in a dispute that has intertwined legal battles with the memory of a player whose transfer unsettled fans and underscored the complex financial dynamics surrounding football transfers.
