Cardiff to Appeal FIFA Verdict Over £5.3m Emiliano Sala Transfer Fee at CAS

02 October 2019 09:54

​Cardiff City are set to appeal FIFA's ruling that they must pay Nantes £5.3m for the transfer of Emiliano Sala in January.

Sala was tragically killed after a plane carrying him crashed en route to Cardiff, and the two sides have been locked in a legal battle over whether the Bluebirds should be forced to pay for the transfer, given he never arrived in Wales.

Emiliano Sala

FIFA ruled that ​Cardiff must pay £5.3m, which was the previously agreed first instalment of the £15m fee, but the Bluebirds have now confirmed (via ​The Telegraph) that they intend to appeal the decision.

In a statement, Cardiff said: “Following FIFA’s update on their announcement regarding the transfer of Emiliano Sala, Cardiff City Football Club will be launching an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.


“Cardiff City FC is extremely disappointed at the decision of the Players’ Status Committee to award against the club. It would appear the committee has reached its conclusion on a narrow aspect of the overall dispute, without considering the full documentation presented by Cardiff City FC to FIFA.

“Nevertheless, there remains clear evidence that the transfer agreement was never completed in accordance with multiple contractual requirements which were requested by Nantes, thereby rendering it null and void.

“We shall be appealing to CAS in order to seek a decision which considers all of the relevant contractual information and provides clarity on the full legal situation between our two clubs.

Cardiff City v AFC Bournemouth - Premier League

“This is a complex matter, which includes ongoing civil and criminal considerations both in the UK and abroad, which will likely have an impact on the validity of the transfer. It is therefore vital that a comprehensive judgement is reached following a full assessment and review of the facts.”

Source: 90min