French Court Rejects Cardiff City’s €122m Claim Over Emiliano Sala Case

A French court has rejected Cardiff City’s €122 million (£106m) compensation claim against Nantes.

‎The case centred on financial losses the Welsh side said it suffered following the 2019 death of striker Emiliano Sala. The ruling ends Cardiff’s attempt to recover damages through the Nantes commercial court.

‎Cardiff City has been ordered to pay €300,000 (£261k) in moral damages to Nantes following Monday’s ruling.

The judgment relates to the 2019 tragedy in which Emiliano Sala, 28, and pilot David Ibbotson lost their lives when their aircraft crashed en route to Cardiff.

‎An expert report commissioned by Cardiff had previously estimated the club’s financial losses at €122 million.

Since Sala’s death, Cardiff have been relegated from the Premier League. They currently play in English football’s third tier.

‎”We initiated this process so that the full truth would come to light in this case and out of respect for the memory of Emiliano Sala,” Cardiff’s lawyer Celine Jones told reporters after the verdict.

‎”Today, we bitterly observe that the principles of transparency, integrity, and safety in professional football have not prevailed in this decision,” she added.

‎Sala’s mother, Mercedes Taffarel, was in court with Cardiff representatives but did not wish to speak.

‎Nantes, struggling in the Ligue 1 relegation zone this season, welcomed the decision.

‎”Nantes is in no way responsible for the incident that occurred,” said club lawyer Jerome Marsaudon.

‎”We are pleased the court listened to us and confirmed this in clear terms.”

‎During their pleadings, lawyers for Nantes denounced the “judicial harassment” by Cardiff, accusing the club of having “exploited” the death of Sala.

‎Louis-Marie Absil, counsel for Nantes, said the total sum sought by Cardiff in damages was “totally fanciful and exaggerated”.

‎What’s Next? 

‎Cardiff City maintained that Nantes, acting through intermediary Willie McKay, had organised the private flight on which the striker travelled, arguing that this aspect not the transfer itself was at the centre of the dispute.

In 2022, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Emiliano Sala’s transfer had been fully completed at the time of the accident.

‎A year later, FIFA instructed Cardiff to pay Nantes the outstanding portion of the €17 million transfer fee, totalling just over €11 million.

‎A statement issued by Cardiff on Monday read, “We deeply regret that the court did not recognise FC Nantes’ liability in this tragedy.

‎”How is it possible that, in the end, FC Nantes which never contributed to the support fund we launched in memory of Emiliano paid more money to Willie McKay (1.5 million euros) than to the Sala family?

‎”More than ever, there is an urgent need to strengthen safety and ethical standards in the management and protection of players, so that such a tragedy can never happen again.

‎”The world of football must take a hard look at itself.”