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French Court Rejects Cardiff’s €120M Claim Over Emiliano Sala Plane Crash

Posted : 31 March 2026

A French commercial court has dismissed Welsh club Cardiff City’s claim for compensation in the death of Argentine forward Emiliano Sala, more than seven years after the tragic plane crash.

Cardiff had sought over €120 million from the player’s former club, Nantes, but the court ruled that Nantes bore no responsibility for the flight that claimed Sala’s life in January 2019.

Sala had been signed by Cardiff for a club-record €17 million to help the team in the Premier League, but the single-engine Piper Malibu aircraft carrying him from France to Wales crashed into the sea near Guernsey, killing both Sala and the pilot, David Ibbotson.

The court concluded that Cardiff suffered no reputational damage and described the club’s claims as “extravagant,” ordering them to pay €300,000 in damages plus €180,000 in legal costs.

The court also clarified the role of football agent Willie McKay, who had helped arrange the flight, stating that he acted as an agent for Nantes but did not organize the flight nor was aware of its illegality.

Previous rulings by FIFA, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and Switzerland’s supreme court had also ruled against Cardiff. The case closes another chapter in the long-running legal dispute following Cardiff’s relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2018-19 season.

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