Emiliano Sala: New Book Says Agent’s Involvement Shows ‘Wild

Emiliano Sala: New Book Says Agent’s Involvement Shows ‘Wild West’ Nature of Football Transfers



Friday 27th March 2020


In January 2019 Cardiff City, facing relegation from the English Premier League, signed Argentinian striker Emiliano Sala but he was killed in a plane crash before he could play a game for the club. Harry Harris, who has written a new book about the affair, says there is a lot more to come out about Sala’s death.

Veteran sports journalist Harry Harris said it "beggars belief" pilot David Ibbotson was hired to ferry Emiliano Sala, 28, from France to Wales on the night he died.

Mr Harris, who spent a year investigating the affair as part of a team of Sunday Telegraph journalists, has now written a book - The Killing of Emiliano Sala - and he said: "It was clear there was serious foul play."

The Killing of Emiliano Sala is a book by veteran sports journalist Harry Harris
© Sputnik / Chris Summers
The Killing of Emiliano Sala by Harry Harris
On 13 March the Air Accidents Investigation Branch published its final report into the mysterious death of Sala, who died in January 2019 when the Piper PA-46 Malibu aircraft he was in vanished as it crossed the English Channel.

The report found the pilot was probably overcome by carbon monoxide fumes, shortly before the plane plunged into the sea near Guernsey. It also confirmed Mr Ibbotson was not licensed to fly the plane at night or with a paying passenger.

​Mr Harris, speaking from Thailand’s Marriott Hotel & Spa in Merlin Beach, Phuket, said he believed Ibbotson agreed to fly the plane because he was short of money and he said there were numerous court orders against him for unpaid debts.

Mr Harris investigated the involvement of banned football agent, Willie McKay, in the £15 million transfer of Sala from Nantes to Cardiff.

​He said: "His involvement highlights the extraordinary Wild West of football agents and how FIFA, UEFA and the FA have washed their hands long ago about being capable of policing it."
Sala had earlier flown to Wales to sign a contract after being signed from Nantes for £15 million during the transfer window and was quoted on the club’s website as saying: “I’m very happy to be here. It gives me great pleasure and I can’t wait to start training, meet my new team-mates and get down to work.”

​But in his book, Mr Harris unearthed WhatsApp messages Sala sent to his brother in which he said he felt he was being forced to join Cardiff - who were third from bottom and facing relegation - because Nantes wanted the cash.

Sala said of the £50,000 a week offer from Cardiff: “It is true that it is a good contract but from a football perspective it is not interesting for me.”

The Argentinian went on to say he had asked his own agent, Meissa N’Diaye, to get him a move to another club and said he felt under pressure from Frank Kita, son of Nantes’ owner Waldemar Kita.

​Sala told his brother: "He wants to sell me to Cardiff because he has done a super negotiation, he will get the money he wants, eh? He wants me to go there, he hasn’t even asked what I want! All he cares about is money. So today we are like that. A complete mess."
Mr Harris also unearthed the contract between Nantes and a company run by Willie McKay’s son Mark, which promises them 10 percent of the transfer fee (£1.5 million).

​The book also includes a an email which was sent to Sala by Willie McKay.

In it McKay says: “We are not interested in looking after your personal interests: finance, holidays. Baby-sitting is not our market. We do transfers - to this date, over 600 from Didier Drogba and (Nicolas) Anelka to (Dmitri) Payet, (Jean-Michael) Seri, (Andre-Frank) Anguissa.”

​McKay - whose son Mark signed a contract with Nantes to find a British club who would buy Sala - goes on to admit to creating fake news stories about other Premier League clubs - Everton, West Ham and Fulham - being interested in signing Sala, in order to drive up the price Cardiff would pay.

The book also delves into the role of McKay’s usual pilot, David Henderson, who passed on the job of flying Sala to his friend, Ibbotson.

Mr Harris writes: "Why was Henderson, an experienced pilot who has ferried similar single-engined aircraft as far as California, not behind the controls on the fateful night? What qualifications did Henderson think his pal David Ibbotson had to be at the controls in his stead?"

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​Cardiff City sued for negligence soon after the crash and said they would refuse to pay the transfer fee until liability had been proved.

They were ordered to pay the first instalment - six million euros (£5.3 million) - in September last year but in January they reportedly launched a lawsuit against Nantes, claiming the French club may be guilty of manslaughter and concealment of agent commissions.

Sala was flying from Nantes - where had said farewell to his former team-mates and manager Vahid Halilhodžić - to Cardiff when the plane crashed on 21 January.

The wreck of the plane was later discovered on the seabed and Sala’s body was eventually recovered and buried in his native Argentina.

The body of pilot David Ibbotson has never been found but in August last year the AAIB said both men - the only people on the single propeller plane - were thought to have been exposed to "potentially fatal" levels of carbon monoxide.

Cardiff City, without Sala’s goals, were relegated from the Premier League in May last year.

Harris said McKay and his son never got their 10 percent from the deal and explained: “Mark’s company had to facilitate the fee payments before they could collect their cut.”

Earlier this month Dorset Police, which is investigating the crash, said it would take no further action against a man arrested in North Yorkshire last year on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with Sala's death.

In the book, Mr Harris writes: “It is clear from all the evidence accrued following the crash that this tragedy was no an unfortunate accident but a series of preventable errors with a tragic ending.”

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Nantes owner Waldemar Kita will give club employees unlimited fully paid leave amid COVID-19 pandemic: "Everyone will receive their full salary. We will sort it out. People need to feel comfortable." (OF) http://bit.ly/KitaCOVID

The plot thickens

This will never get resolved

The plot thickens

This will never get resolved

These messages were available at the time, or at least in the weeks after his death. It’s how football agents work and no different to tens of thousands of transfers all over the world. That’s why Cardiff used McKay countless times in the past.

These have nothing to do with the case however, just an insight into football and the money within it. Sala was never forced to go anywhere, he was going for the 50k a week, he was a fully grown adult who made his decision. What he was essentially saying is the money is good but didn’t want to go for footballing reasons, that’s the trade off.

Do you really think Bale wanted to go to China? He was only going for the cash but doubt he would be doing it to further his career. Sala made a similar choice and that opportunity came to him due to having an agent, that’s why so many (almost all now) footballers have them.

The plot thickens

This will never get resolved

These messages were available at the time, or at least in the weeks after his death. It’s how football agents work and no different to tens of thousands of transfers all over the world. That’s why Cardiff used McKay countless times in the past.

These have nothing to do with the case however, just an insight into football and the money within it. Sala was never forced to go anywhere, he was going for the 50k a week, he was a fully grown adult who made his decision. What he was essentially saying is the money is good but didn’t want to go for footballing reasons, that’s the trade off.

Do you really think Bale wanted to go to China? He was only going for the cash but doubt he would be doing it to further his career. Sala made a similar choice and that opportunity came to him due to having an agent, that’s why so many (almost all now) footballers have them.

That sort of skirts around things. If Gareth Bale had gone to China you think the facilitating agent wouldn't arrange for him to fly in a 35 year old one engine plane which was spewing out carbon monoxide and flown by an unqualified pilot.

The agent owed a duty of care which he failed to provide.

The plot thickens

This will never get resolved

These messages were available at the time, or at least in the weeks after his death. It’s how football agents work and no different to tens of thousands of transfers all over the world. That’s why Cardiff used McKay countless times in the past.

These have nothing to do with the case however, just an insight into football and the money within it. Sala was never forced to go anywhere, he was going for the 50k a week, he was a fully grown adult who made his decision. What he was essentially saying is the money is good but didn’t want to go for footballing reasons, that’s the trade off.

Do you really think Bale wanted to go to China? He was only going for the cash but doubt he would be doing it to further his career. Sala made a similar choice and that opportunity came to him due to having an agent, that’s why so many (almost all now) footballers have them.

That sort of skirts around things. If Gareth Bale had gone to China you think the facilitating agent wouldn't arrange for him to fly in a 35 year old one engine plane which was spewing out carbon monoxide and flown by an unqualified pilot.

The agent owed a duty of care which he failed to provide.

Tony, I would have thought the buying club would have put on convenient transport to get there for Bale, failing that then he may well have used a private jet. No doubt they would be trusting the pilot has the required paperwork.

I agree McKay could possibly be sued. But that doesn’t affect the case, the case is between Cardiff and Nantes. Once that is paid, then there is a fair case against McKay - but I don’t think he has a pot to p*ss in and will probably just go bankrupt again.

Being able to sue someone, blame someone or whatever word you want to use, doesn’t nullify the transfer. I think that’s the mistake many people are making.

If you signed someone from Newcastle, he came down and signed the contract etc and then went back home to say his goodbyes before returning from training. The agent arranged an Uber to take him from Newcastle to Cardiff as Cardiff only offered transport that was departing from Manchester, turns out the Uber driver didn’t have the correct paperwork and crashed on the way... you still need to pay Newcastle.

You would have a case afterwards against Uber, maybe against the agent (but doubtful) but that wouldn’t affect your obligation to pay for what you bought.

The plot thickens

This will never get resolved

These messages were available at the time, or at least in the weeks after his death. It’s how football agents work and no different to tens of thousands of transfers all over the world. That’s why Cardiff used McKay countless times in the past.

These have nothing to do with the case however, just an insight into football and the money within it. Sala was never forced to go anywhere, he was going for the 50k a week, he was a fully grown adult who made his decision. What he was essentially saying is the money is good but didn’t want to go for footballing reasons, that’s the trade off.

Do you really think Bale wanted to go to China? He was only going for the cash but doubt he would be doing it to further his career. Sala made a similar choice and that opportunity came to him due to having an agent, that’s why so many (almost all now) footballers have them.

That sort of skirts around things. If Gareth Bale had gone to China you think the facilitating agent wouldn't arrange for him to fly in a 35 year old one engine plane which was spewing out carbon monoxide and flown by an unqualified pilot.

The agent owed a duty of care which he failed to provide.

the agent probably didn't even see the plane.. but ES did. and had already been in it on the way out.
if I organised some form of transport for you which you are very uncomfortable about but use. would you being an adult millionaire just go along with jumping in it for the return...?
every one wants a scapegoat but the truth is with hindsight a lot of people could have done something different to what they actually did do ,including both the deceased men..

The plot thickens

This will never get resolved

These messages were available at the time, or at least in the weeks after his death. It’s how football agents work and no different to tens of thousands of transfers all over the world. That’s why Cardiff used McKay countless times in the past.

These have nothing to do with the case however, just an insight into football and the money within it. Sala was never forced to go anywhere, he was going for the 50k a week, he was a fully grown adult who made his decision. What he was essentially saying is the money is good but didn’t want to go for footballing reasons, that’s the trade off.

Do you really think Bale wanted to go to China? He was only going for the cash but doubt he would be doing it to further his career. Sala made a similar choice and that opportunity came to him due to having an agent, that’s why so many (almost all now) footballers have them.

That sort of skirts around things. If Gareth Bale had gone to China you think the facilitating agent wouldn't arrange for him to fly in a 35 year old one engine plane which was spewing out carbon monoxide and flown by an unqualified pilot.

The agent owed a duty of care which he failed to provide.

the agent probably didn't even see the plane.. but ES did. and had already been in it on the way out.
if I organised some form of transport for you which you are very uncomfortable about but use. would you being an adult millionaire just go along with jumping in it for the return...?
every one wants a scapegoat but the truth is with hindsight a lot of people could have done something different to what they actually did do ,including both the deceased men..

There had to be an element of trust from Emiliano Sala and that trust was clearly broken by others

It's not to say that anyone can say Ibbotson set out deliberately to put his own or his client's life in danger; but through a series of both deliberate and accidental occurrences, the flight was illegal, the plane/pilot not fit for the job and two men died as a consequence

Hindsight is not really a fit word to use here; but the instigative results will hopefully stop such an occurrence happening to some other party in the future

There had to be an element of trust from Emiliano Sala and that trust was clearly broken by others

It's not to say that anyone can say Ibbotson set out deliberately to put his own or his client's life in danger; but through a series of both deliberate and accidental occurrences, the flight was illegal, the plane/pilot not fit for the job and two men died as a consequence

Hindsight is not really a fit word to use here; but the instigative results will hopefully stop such an occurrence happening to some other party in the future

How?

Players will continue to arrange their own forms of transport for personal trips regardless of this case and have no doubt been doing ever since the news broke.