Grubby, classless, the five-year legal battle over plane cra

Daily Mail



Grubby, classless, the five-year legal battle over plane crash victim Emiliano Sala takes us into football's sewers...

By IAN HERBERT:


Wednesday 24th January 2024



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Grubby, classless, the five-year legal battle over plane crash victim Emiliano Sala takes us into football's sewers... where players are pawns and chronically inept clubs desperately try to save cash



There weren’t many of us in the chilly, oak-panelled coroner’s court when the mother of Emiliano Sala finally got the chance to tell the world about the child she loved and lost.


Mercedes Taffarel’s statement was read out by the coroner at the inquest into his death that day, yet the small details still broke your heart.

How she had travelled around the Channel Islands after the plane carrying him crashed, wandering up and down beaches, shouting out his name, hoping he might somehow hear her.

How her boy, who to her was simply ‘Emi’, had been preparing to learn English and ‘to travel to the most important places in the United Kingdom’, now he had put the doubts out of mind and signed for Cardiff City from Nantes.




Cardiff had been putting him under a lot of pressure to sign, she said. There had been haggling for cash with Nantes, who were selling him. ‘Emi felt in the middle of that. He felt in some doubt. Those weeks were intense,’ his mother related.

It was after clearing his flat and saying his goodbyes in France that the young Argentine died — five years ago this week — in the death trap of an aircraft which was carrying him to South Wales. Carbon monoxide from the aircraft’s faulty exhaust system seeped into the cabin.

It was a case which took us down into the sewers of football, reminding us of the pawns players become as chronically inept clubs desperately seek solutions in the January transfer window.



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Just seen the replies, getting absolutely slated except for the odd few who take it for face value.

Ultimately, we will never know truly who was "to blame" (for use of a better word) for this tragedy, however it is far too easy for outsiders to thrown the blame onto us

Hopefully all of the truth will one day be revealed so everyone can move on

RIP Emi

You can’t blame city for doing their best for signing the player. If he did not want to come ,he was a grown man and could have said no . Cardiff offered him a schedule flight on a well established international carrier. His agent and Nantes agent placed him on a flight with a non licensed pilot in a plane not fit for purpose
In this awful event where a couple of life’s were lost City have been taking too much of the flak for others actions . If i am correct Cardiff are the only party that have paid any money to the family.
The payment of the TV is a separate issue between Cardiff and Nantes

Regardless of who's fault this is, and who was involved, a young man lost his life here and the family has been through hell with all of the court cases and stuff in the media.

RIP Emi


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The rest of The Daily Mail Story:


viewtopic.php?f=2&t=204226

Daily Mail

By IAN HERBERT:


Wednesday 24th January 2024


It was a case which took us down into the sewers of football, reminding us of the pawns players become as chronically inept clubs desperately seek solutions in the January transfer window.





And in the endless aftermath there has been a tawdry epilogue to the tragedy, a grubby and classless wrangling over whether Cardiff had technically signed Sala and were therefore liable to pay the £15million transfer fee.

They categorically were — and don’t just take my word for it. Read the court papers. There are reams of them, because the whole money-grabbing affair was dragged through the FIFA Players’

Status Committee, the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the Swiss Federal Court, all of whom concur on this point.

Examine the images of Sala signing for Cardiff, published on the club’s website. There is a silver pen in his hand.

But the club are still not having it. They are now taking the case to the Nantes Commercial Court, where they will argue Nantes are financially liable for the £15m that they were paid on Fifa’s orders.

This, their lawyers say, is because the one-time British agent Willie McKay, who worked for the selling club as a fixer and intermediary, was involved in setting up the flight.





Cardiff were more than happy to allow McKay to fly their manager Neil Warnock to Nantes on two occasions to see Sala play. They were happy to allow McKay to fly Sala and his agent to Cardiff, first to view the club, then to sign. They were even happy to let McKay organise transport from a local airport, near Barry, to Ninian Park. It was only when the plane crashed that McKay’s attachment to Nantes became a factor in their resistance to paying the fee.

Their lawyers’ latest bid to recoup that sum, and an additional £60m from Nantes plus interest for lost revenue because of the club’s Premier League relegation that year, involves using statistics specialists to establish whether, on the balance of probability, Sala would have scored enough goals to keep them in the top flight.

Their conclusion — you’ve guessed it — is that he might very well have done. He scored a goal every three games for Nantes in Ligue 1, you see, and a goal every two matches for Union Sportive Orleans, in the French third tier, and for Niort in the French second tier.

Cardiff’s lawyers are expected to lay all this out before three judges next month. It hardly bears imagining how the family will feel about the professional merits of the boy they lost becoming a matter of intellectual sparring in a courtroom.

That family could not have remotely imagined what a panoply of court cases, claims and counter-claims would flow after receiving a 6am call on a fateful Monday morning, five years ago, informing them that the plane had disappeared off the radar.

Just once in the entire, interminable legal process have there been a few crumbs of comfort for them to take and that was in that inquest room at Bournemouth.

The coroner, Rachael Griffin, could not have done more to afford the family a kindness. She slowed the inquest’s witnesses down to a pace which allowed a Spanish translator, in court with Sala’s brother Dario, to relate the evidence to him.

She helped Dario select an image of his brother to present to the inquest jury, after a suitcase containing one the family had chosen did not materialise when they landed from Argentina.

During a break in one of those long days of evidence, I happened to encounter Dario in a corridor. There was no conversation as such. He seemed to speak no English. There were lawyers around. It was to fill a momentary silence, more than anything, that I asked if he felt the inquest might be the end of it, the end of the headlines, the end of the line. The look on his face seemed to say ‘yes’.

Little did he know. Five years on and still the cheap haggling for cash goes on.

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This is a one-sided story written by a journo, who calls us "grubby and classeless" whilst writing for a paper that nobody reads precisely because its grubby and classeless. It cheap and written purely to shit stir and cause divide solely for ad clicks. It's ill informed, poorly written toxic click bait, nothing more.

He doesn't state we have set up a family trust fund and contributed significantly to it and that Nantes, who have been recently indicted for the repeated use of illegal agents and possible money laundering by their owner who already has a criminal record and is notorious.

It's a cheap cut and paste job, no balance on purpose or research, this "Herbert" thinks we still actually play at Ninian Park, so that's the sort of idiot your dealing with.

Even his follow on story immediately after this piece of crap is another look-at-me story for his inflated ego and sense of self importance. I'm actually surprised that anyone even reads the Daily Fail anymore. So no surprise they have to publish this type of cheap crap as desperate for clicks.

Regardless of who's fault this is, and who was involved, a young man lost his life here and the family has been through hell with all of the court cases and stuff in the media.

RIP Emi


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Sadly your so right, many keep forgetting this.

Five years on and still court battles and the truth is the whole situation stinks from the beginning to the end.


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My opinion / view:

Agents and Managers have a lot to answer for in all this and mates etc

I'm not a big of fan of The Mail, but it has to be said that is damning.

Similar to what we've all been saying all these years.


I'm sure that Tan's biggest fans will be along soon to tell us it's all a load or rubbish and we're lucky to be living at the same time as he is.


But the truth is a lot independent news organizations always report it like this.

Yet more court cases upcoming as well, more that we will lose.

Don’t forget when it suited us we were cosying up to McKay until it didn't suit.
Two of his sons in our under 21’s team, Warnock and McKay were good friends and had done many business deals together.

i have always said pay first fight later but because we didnt we are getting ripped apart by everyone...it is mad though that out of all the things that happened people only care that we didnt pay up right away

My opinion / view:

Agents and Managers have a lot to answer for in all this and mates etc

Corruption annis, also its us who's suffered from this since financially not Nantes,why should cardiff owners and us fans suffer when it wasn't our fault , 20 million plus cardiffvcity football club and coz they lost this money also us the fans on transfers, the agents flight was illegal simple as that .

Don’t forget when it suited us we were cosying up to McKay until it didn't suit.
Two of his sons in our under 21’s team, Warnock and McKay were good friends and had done many business deals together.

We or Warnock ?

I'm not a big of fan of The Mail, but it has to be said that is damning.

Similar to what we've all been saying all these years.


I'm sure that Tan's biggest fans will be along soon to tell us it's all a load or rubbish and we're lucky to be living at the same time as he is.


But the truth is a lot independent news organizations always report it like this.

Yet more court cases upcoming as well, more that we will lose.

Zzzzzzzzz you said we would lose against the insurers and we didn't, easy spending other peoples money aint it ? .

Don’t forget when it suited us we were cosying up to McKay until it didn't suit.
Two of his sons in our under 21’s team, Warnock and McKay were good friends and had done many business deals together.

We or Warnock ?

Warnock was the driver of this deal and a dip into the archives will show this...

In fact, Tan was initially against the signing but Warnock convinced them he was the 'magic wand' to keep us in the Premier League and finances apart, Warnock was the 'link' between City, Sala, his agents and by default FC Nantes...

The two Academy McKay's were a Warnock decision, too...

Regardless of who's fault this is, and who was involved, a young man lost his life here and the family has been through hell with all of the court cases and stuff in the media.

RIP Emi


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Don't you think the other chap matters even he shouldn't have been flying the plane.?

This is a one-sided story written by a journo, who calls us "grubby and classeless" whilst writing for a paper that nobody reads precisely because its grubby and classeless. It cheap and written purely to shit stir and cause divide solely for ad clicks. It's ill informed, poorly written toxic click bait, nothing more.

He doesn't state we have set up a family trust fund and contributed significantly to it and that Nantes, who have been recently indicted for the repeated use of illegal agents and possible money laundering by their owner who already has a criminal record and is notorious.

It's a cheap cut and paste job, no balance on purpose or research, this "Herbert" thinks we still actually play at Ninian Park, so that's the sort of idiot your dealing with.

Even his follow on story immediately after this piece of crap is another look-at-me story for his inflated ego and sense of self importance. I'm actually surprised that anyone even reads the Daily Fail anymore. So no surprise they have to publish this type of cheap crap as desperate for clicks.

Spot on if Ian Herbert wants to see ' clueless & classless ' I suggest he look in a mirror.

This is a one-sided story written by a journo, who calls us "grubby and classeless" whilst writing for a paper that nobody reads precisely because its grubby and classeless. It cheap and written purely to shit stir and cause divide solely for ad clicks. It's ill informed, poorly written toxic click bait, nothing more.

He doesn't state we have set up a family trust fund and contributed significantly to it and that Nantes, who have been recently indicted for the repeated use of illegal agents and possible money laundering by their owner who already has a criminal record and is notorious.

It's a cheap cut and paste job, no balance on purpose or research, this "Herbert" thinks we still actually play at Ninian Park, so that's the sort of idiot your dealing with.

Even his follow on story immediately after this piece of crap is another look-at-me story for his inflated ego and sense of self importance. I'm actually surprised that anyone even reads the Daily Fail anymore. So no surprise they have to publish this type of cheap crap as desperate for clicks.

Spot on if Ian Herbert wants to see ' clueless & classless ' I suggest he look in a mirror.

Quite right Jules, an absolutely crap and untrue article. we have always been branded as the bad boys, truth is coming out soon

Ian Herbert is a North Walian gog by the way, which may explain why his report is so unbalanced.

Regardless of who's fault this is, and who was involved, a young man lost his life here and the family has been through hell with all of the court cases and stuff in the media.

RIP Emi


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Don't you think the other chap matters even he shouldn't have been flying the plane.?

Jules, Roath_Blue is not the only one to show scant regard for David Ibbotson in all of this...

Overall, a very unbalanced report that succeeds only in showing how 'a little twist here' and 'a little twist there' can sway a 'story' one way or the other; for those unable to articulate an argument for themselves at least...

Ian Herbert is a North Walian gog by the way, which may explain why his report is so unbalanced.

He wrote the Wrexham Tinseltown book so a gog who hates the capital and also Wales capital city team. A bit like a Swansea fan that you've bought from Wish.

It's a gutter press article, written by a third-rate gutter press hack and published by a gutter press publication.

I was a journalist for Dow Jones many moons ago and I can tell you with a little authority that this "Herbert" would never get an interview there, let alone a job. He's just a freelance fuckwit.

Ian Herbert is a North Walian gog by the way, which may explain why his report is so unbalanced.

He wrote the Wrexham Tinseltown book so a gog who hates the capital and also Wales capital city team. A bit like a Swansea fan that you've bought from Wish.

It's a gutter press article, written by a third-rate gutter press hack and published by a gutter press publication.

I was a journalist for Dow Jones many moons ago and I can tell you with a little authority that this "Herbert" would never get an interview there, let alone a job. He's just a freelance fuckwit.

Don't hold back, Paul; say it as you see it...!

Ian Herbert is a North Walian gog by the way, which may explain why his report is so unbalanced.

He wrote the Wrexham Tinseltown book so a gog who hates the capital and also Wales capital city team. A bit like a Swansea fan that you've bought from Wish.

It's a gutter press article, written by a third-rate gutter press hack and published by a gutter press publication.

I was a journalist for Dow Jones many moons ago and I can tell you with a little authority that this "Herbert" would never get an interview there, let alone a job. He's just a freelance fuckwit.

Don't hold back, Paul; say it as you see it...!

I'm currently waiting outside his office with a roll of gaffer tape, a clawhammer and a blowtorch in the boot.

Ian Herbert is a North Walian gog by the way, which may explain why his report is so unbalanced.

He wrote the Wrexham Tinseltown book so a gog who hates the capital and also Wales capital city team. A bit like a Swansea fan that you've bought from Wish.

It's a gutter press article, written by a third-rate gutter press hack and published by a gutter press publication.

I was a journalist for Dow Jones many moons ago and I can tell you with a little authority that this "Herbert" would never get an interview there, let alone a job. He's just a freelance fuckwit.

Don't hold back, Paul; say it as you see it...!

I'm currently waiting outside his office with a roll of gaffer tape, a clawhammer and a blowtorch in the boot.

Why ?

Overall, a very unbalanced report that succeeds only in showing how 'a little twist here' and 'a little twist there' can sway a 'story' one way or the other; for those unable to articulate an argument for themselves at least...

Just shows some people's hatred can eat them away.

Ian Herbert is a North Walian gog by the way, which may explain why his report is so unbalanced.

He wrote the Wrexham Tinseltown book so a gog who hates the capital and also Wales capital city team. A bit like a Swansea fan that you've bought from Wish.

It's a gutter press article, written by a third-rate gutter press hack and published by a gutter press publication.

I was a journalist for Dow Jones many moons ago and I can tell you with a little authority that this "Herbert" would never get an interview there, let alone a job. He's just a freelance fuckwit.

Don't hold back, Paul; say it as you see it...!

I'm currently waiting outside his office with a roll of gaffer tape, a clawhammer and a blowtorch in the boot.

Why ?

Let's just say if plod taps the window, my cover story is that I've just come back from B&Q.

My opinion / view:

Agents and Managers have a lot to answer for in all this and mates etc

Annis, 100%

Ian Herbert is a North Walian gog by the way, which may explain why his report is so unbalanced.

He wrote the Wrexham Tinseltown book so a gog who hates the capital and also Wales capital city team. A bit like a Swansea fan that you've bought from Wish.

It's a gutter press article, written by a third-rate gutter press hack and published by a gutter press publication.

I was a journalist for Dow Jones many moons ago and I can tell you with a little authority that this "Herbert" would never get an interview there, let alone a job. He's just a freelance fuckwit.

Don't hold back, Paul; say it as you see it...!

I'm currently waiting outside his office with a roll of gaffer tape, a clawhammer and a blowtorch in the boot.

Why ?

Let's just say if plod taps the window, my cover story is that I've just come back from B&Q.