Cardiff City launch appeal against dismissed £100m Sala compensation claim

Cardiff City have officially lodged an appeal against a French judge's decision to throw out the club's claim for more than £100m in compensation following the death of Emiliano Sala. The 28-year-old Argentine striker and pilot David Ibbotson died when their plane went down in the English Channel on the night of 21 January 2019. Sala was en route to join Cardiff, then in the Premier League, from FC Nantes in a £15m transfer. The legal battle between the two clubs has dragged on for years. In March, a Nantes commercial court dismissed Cardiff's claim that they were due compensation from Nantes over the loss of Sala. The Bluebirds were seeking more than €120m (£104m) for lost income and other damages, arguing Sala could have kept them in the Premier League. The court not only rejected the claim but also ordered Cardiff to pay around £400,000 in legal fees and moral damages to Nantes, a penalty payable immediately regardless of any appeal. Cardiff's legal team initially said they would take time to consider their next move. With a three-month deadline to decide expiring this week, the club has now confirmed they have filed their intention to appeal. The case will now be heard again in full at the Court of Appeal in Rennes, a process that could take up to two years.