Nantes: Sala case – Cardiff will not receive the €122 million it claimed!

In 2023, Cardiff launched legal proceedings against FC Nantes to claim “compensation for loss of revenue and other damages” following the tragic death of Emiliano Sala in January 2019. Whilst the Welsh club had sought €122 million, this claim has been officially dismissed.

The Emiliano Sala case has delivered its verdict. On 21 January 2019, the striker, who was set to leave FC Nantes for Cardiff, tragically lost his life in a plane crash. In March 2023, the Welsh club brought a case before the Commercial Court of Nantes, targeting the Ligue 1 side, to claim “compensation for loss of revenue and other damages suffered” totalling €122 million.

Based on expert calculations regarding expected goals and expected points, Cardiff had estimated that it would have had a 54.2% chance of staying in the Premier League in 2018–2019 with the Argentine in its squad.

Cardiff’s claim dismissed

To justify this action, the current second-placed team in League One pointed the finger at Nantes, along with agent Willie McKay, accusing them of organising the former Bordeaux player’s fatal trip. But on Monday, the Nantes Commercial Court officially dismissed the Bluebirds’ claim!

In this ruling, the judges did not recognise FCN as the organiser of the flight, but merely as McKay’s agent. Furthermore, the Commercial Court ruled that Cardiff had suffered no loss in this case, unlike Nantes. The Welsh club was therefore ordered to pay €480,000, comprising “€300,000 for non-pecuniary damage suffered” and “€180,000 pursuant to the provisions of Article 700 of the Code of Civil Procedure”.

A liberating outcome for the family

Without even mentioning the impact on the two clubs, this verdict, delivered in the presence of Sala’s mother, Mercedes Taffarel, will finally bring this legal battle to an end. This financial dispute, featuring an utterly staggering claim from Cardiff, had been dragging on for several years, much to the distress of the family and loved ones of the former FCN striker. For those close to him, this outcome finally offers the prospect of peace and reflection, far from the courts.