PARIS – Cardiff City chairman Mehmet Dalman said on Tuesday the club will pay the fee for striker Emiliano Sala if they are contractually required to do so.
Sala had signed for the Premier League side and was flying to his new team from his old club Nantes in France when his plane went missing over the Channel on January 21.
The wreckage was located on the seabed. Sala’s body was recovered, but pilot David Ibbotson is still missing. The aircraft remains under the sea.
“If we are contractually obliged to pay them, then of course we will. We are an honourable club,” Dalman told the BBC.
“But if we are not – and there are some anomalies in that – then surely you would expect me as the chairman and guardian of this club’s interests to look into that and hold our position. That is what we are doing,” he added.
Dalman said the French club had requested the money from the £15 million transfer, but the Bluebirds were yet to formally react.
“We are not in agreement with that process, given the extraordinary events that have taken place and the tragic circumstances. We are not making any positive or negative statements.
“We are simply saying, please understand there are a lot of questions which need to be answered.”
Nantes gave a final rousing send-off to Argentinian Sala with a series of moving gestures in their Ligue 1 match against Nimes on Sunday.
Known as the Canaries due to their yellow kit, Nantes played in a one-off full black outfit with Sala’s name on the back of each shirt.
Crazy happy with this win, fighting with all the love we have for this club. A deep thought for Emiliano 🙏🏿💐💙 lets keep it that way lads !!! @CardiffCityFC #latewins #bestwins pic.twitter.com/xa2pcw9gXt
— Sol Bamba (@Sol14Bamba) February 9, 2019