French Commercial Court Rules Against Cardiff City Compensation Claim
Emiliano Sala had recently signed a contract to join Cardiff City Football Club when he tragically died in a plane crash in early 2019.
A commercial court in France has ruled that Cardiff City Football Club should not receive compensation from FC Nantes following the death of player Emiliano Sala in a plane crash while en route to Cardiff.
Sala, aged 28, and pilot David Ibbotson died when the plane they were traveling in plunged into the sea near Guernsey on 21 January 2019.
The Argentine football star was on his way to join Cardiff City – then competing in the Premier League – from Nantes for a transfer fee valued at £15 million, having signed just two days earlier.
Since then, a dispute has arisen between the two clubs, with Cardiff claiming compensation exceeding £100 million from Nantes due to the player's death, which they believe could have helped keep the club in the Premier League.
Cardiff alleged that the agent who arranged the flight, Willie McKay, was acting on behalf of Nantes during Sala's transfer – a claim denied by the French club.
Lawyers for both clubs argued their cases during a hearing in December 2025, after Cardiff took the matter to court in 2023.
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