September 18, 2026

French court dismisses Cardiff City's €120mn claim over Sala's death

The club claims Nantes helped organise the flight, seeking over €120 million in damages

bdnews24.com

Reuters

Published : 31 Mar 2026, 11:36 PM

Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 03:32 PM

Cardiff City's 120 million euro ($137.75 million) compensation claim following the death of Argentine striker Emiliano Sala in a plane crash in 2019 has been dismissed by a French court, his former club Nantes told Reuters on Monday.

The Welsh side sought damages in 2023 from Nantes, alleging negligence that led to the 28-year-old's death. However, the court ordered Cardiff to pay around 480,000 euros in legal fees and moral damages suffered by the Ligue 1 side.

During the hearing in December, Cardiff argued that Nantes were involved in the flight organisation that led to the footballer's death and claimed more than 120 million euros for loss of income and other damages.

Sala was travelling from Nantes to his new team Cardiff on Jan 21, 2019 when the light aircraft carrying him went down in the English Channel.

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