Cardiff continue Sala legal fight with appeal against £100m ruling

Cardiff City have filed an appeal against a French court decision rejecting their claim for more than £100m in compensation from Nantes following the death of Emiliano Sala.The Championship club are challenging the March ruling by the Nantes Commercial Court, which dismissed their case and ordered them to pay €480,000 in legal costs and damages to the French side.Cardiff previously said: “We want FC Nantes to be held accountable for the faults committed by Willie McKay, FC Nantes’ true agent.”Sala died alongside pilot David Ibbotson when their light aircraft crashed in the English Channel on January 21, 2019.The Argentine striker had agreed a club-record £15m move from Nantes and was travelling to Wales to begin training with Cardiff.Cardiff’s claim sought €122m in damages, including losses they argued resulted from Sala never playing for the club and their subsequent relegation from the Premier League.The club maintained that Sala’s goals could have helped them remain in the top flight, protecting broadcast, sponsorship and other commercial revenues.Their case also alleged that Willie McKay acted on Nantes’ behalf during the transfer and arranged the fatal flight.Nantes denied responsibility and argued that McKay was not acting as their authorised intermediary.The French court rejected Cardiff’s arguments and found that Nantes were not liable for the crash or the Welsh club’s claimed financial losses.The appeal continues a series of legal proceedings connected to the transfer.FIFA previously ruled that Cardiff were required to pay the agreed transfer fee, a decision later upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport and Switzerland’s supreme court.Cardiff eventually paid Nantes the outstanding instalments after initially contesting whether the transfer had been completed before Sala’s death.The current French proceedings are separate from that transfer-fee dispute and focus on Nantes’ alleged civil liability.Cardiff have consistently argued that the case raises wider questions about the use of unlicensed intermediaries and safety standards during international transfers.The appeal means the financial and legal consequences of Sala’s transfer will remain unresolved, with the case now moving to a higher French court.