Before his terrible death in a plane crash, Emiliano Sala’s mother said that her son had reservations about leaving Nantes for Cardiff.
Sala, an Argentinian striker, died in January 2019 when his private plane crashed into the English Channel off the coast of Alderney.
The 28-year-old had just completed a transfer from Ligue 1 club Nantes to Cardiff City in the Premier League, and was on his way to Wales after going to the west of France to collect his belongings and say his goodbyes to his teammates.
Sala was Cardiff’s record signing at £15 million, with manager Neil Warnock willing to splash the cash on a player who had 48 goals in 133 appearances for Nantes.
He died before making a Cardiff appearance, and fans of both the Bluebirds and his former team in France paid tribute to him by leaving scarves, shirts, and flowers outside their respective stadiums.
Sala’s body was discovered by deep-sea investigators more than a month after the private plane he was on vanished. Sala died as a result of injuries to his ‘head and trunk,’ according to a post-mortem study. The pilot’s body, David Ibbotson, has never been found.
Pilot David Henderson, who had organized the flight and had meant to fly it himself, was found guilty in October 2021 of planning a flight without license or authorization and risking the safety of an aircraft. He was a great guy.
Sala’s last inquest began earlier this morning at Bournemouth Coroner’s Court and is anticipated to last five weeks. ‘Our pain will never go away,’ his mother Mercedes Taffarel said in a statement on the opening day of the hearing. We keep it with us at all times.’ Dario Sala, Sala’s brother, has also traveled from Argentina to attend the inquest.
Sala’s father, Horacio, died just over two months after his son’s body was recovered. Following the finding, the mayor of Progreso, the family’s hometown, claimed the 69-year-old ‘could not overcome Emi; we believed that after the discovery, he would be able to close that circle.’
The 28-year-old was on board a private jet flying from Nantes to Cardiff on the evening of January 21, 2019, when it crashed in the English Channel near Guernsey, according to Dorset Coroner’s Court. David Ibbotson, a 59-year-old pilot, was also killed, although his body was never located.
Mercedes Taffarel, the footballer’s mother, told the court on the opening day of the inquest into his death that her son’s aim since infancy in Argentina had been to be a professional footballer.
Mrs. Taffarel, who referred to her son as Emi in a written statement, said his goal-scoring prowess in France had prompted requests for him to be called up to Argentina’s national squad.
“He was a big fan of the Nantes club and the fans,” she said. “In December 2018, Cardiff City made an offer.
“It’s true that Emi was overjoyed when he finally agreed to the transfer because he would be able to play in the Premier League. He believed it was the appropriate time to switch teams and leagues.
“It appeared to him that the Nantes management was also pressuring him to leave the club since they were having financial difficulties.”
“Emi’s transfer” is a phrase that can be translated as “Emi
“Those weeks from December 2018 to January 2019 seemed really intensive,” she continued.
“Cardiff put a lot of pressure on him to complete the transfer as soon as possible, but Nantes demanded more money, and Emi felt caught in the middle.”
“Emi was on the fence about making the transfer. Finally, the transaction was agreed upon, not because of his excellent performances as a player at Nantes, but because Nantes required the funds.
“Emi was sold to Cardiff against the wishes of the coaching staff and the supporters, and he thought he was realizing his ambition.”
“After many years of hard work, he had finally made it to one of the world’s most prestigious leagues, which he had always wanted to play.”
Mrs. Taffarel claimed she spoke to her son on a regular basis and assumed he had gone to bed early after landing in Wales when she didn’t hear from him on the day of the trip.
The next day, she learnt that her son’s jet had gone missing.
Her family eventually organized their own sea search, and Sala’s body was discovered inside the plane.
“We had optimism, but it all ended in sorrow, and the pain is still there,” she said.
“Emi was a young man with a bright future ahead of him, and he wanted to continue learning about football in such a prestigious league as the Premier League.”
“Our lives changed forever on January 21, 2019, and none of us are the same today,” she continued.
“No one can bring Emi back to us, but we ask for justice so that she can rest in peace and so that we can have some peace of mind that we did everything we could to prevent similar deaths in the future.”
“Our anguish will never go away, and we will always be aware of it.” All we ask is for justice, and we want to know everything there is to know about what happened.”
Sala was seen by a scout while playing in Argentina and was signed by an academy associated to top French club FC Girondins de Bordeaux, according to the inquest.
He signed his first professional deal with Bordeaux after relocating to France, followed by various loan spells with other clubs.
He joined Ligue 1 club Nantes in July 2015, and his goal-scoring heroics drew the attention of Cardiff City, who were struggling in the Premier League at the time.
The Piper Malibu aircraft left Nantes airport at 7.15 p.m. on January 21 for a journey to Cardiff, but radar contact was lost near Guernsey at 8.15 p.m., according to Senior Dorset Coroner Rachael Griffin.
According to Ms. Griffin, the inquest will hear a variety of testimony from witnesses, but the main topics of discussion will be the flight arrangements, the condition of the aircraft, and the reason of the crash.