Emiliano Sala: ‘A tragic airplane crash; a stain on soccer’s popularity’

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Emiliano Sala mural in Nantes
Argentine artist Gabriel Griffa painted this mural in Carquefou, near Nantes

The morning of Tuesday, 22 January 2019 is etched on my memory as if it were yesterday.

Waking to the news that a light aircraft had disappeared over the Channel en route from Nantes to Cardiff, my partner – a Cardiff City fan – turned to me and said: “Our new striker was coming from Nantes last night.”

I dismissed the link. Surely there must be lots of planes making that journey all the time?

But within the hour, BBC Wales football correspondent Rob Phillips reported Cardiff were “seeking clarification” about the missing plane and there was “genuine concern” at the club.

Argentine Emiliano Sala had signed for Cardiff just three days earlier in a club record £15m transfer from FC Nantes. As that Tuesday unfolded, instead of welcoming their much-anticipated new striker to a training session, they were instead facing a barrage of enquiries from the world’s media about an unfolding tragedy.

It was soon confirmed…

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