March 26 – The financial wrangling between Cardiff City and Nantes following the air crash that tragically killed Emiliano Sala continues to cast a dark shadow over the player’s untimely death.
Cardiff City are reportedly set to tell FIFA that the £15 million deal to buy Sala, who never managed to play a single game for his new club, was not legally binding.
The Premier League club are refusing to make interim payments for the striker, who died over the English Channel in the light aircraft taking him to Cardiff on 21 January.
Cardiff are apparently of the view that Nantes’ conditions for completion of the deal were not fulfilled and Sala was therefore not registered as a Premier League player.
Nantes claim, conversely, that the required paperwork was completed and have complained to FIFA, with Cardiff given until 3 April to respond.
The 28-year-old Argentinian died, along with pilot David Ibbotson, when the plane they were travelling in came down just two days after the Welsh club made him their record signing “subject to international clearance”.
Sky reported the club will argue that Sala’s contract had been rejected by the Premier League because it contravened signing-on fee rules and was therefore ‘null and void’,
As a result, British media reports said Cardiff will argue Sala was perfectly entitled to join another club with more than a week of the January transfer market remaining when he died.
Nantes say they were fully compliant with FIFA rules and have stressed FIFA registered the relevant international transfer certificate on January 21.
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