Cardiff City have been left shocked and dismayed after Nantes demanded the first instalment of the transfer fee for Emiliano Sala, who was on board a plane that went missing a little over a fortnight ago.
It is understood that Cardiff received a letter from Nantes on Tuesday, in which the French club threatened to take legal action if the first scheduled payment is not received within the next 10 days.
Although Nantes were entitled to the first slice of Sala’s £15m fee by now, there is a sense of disbelief at Cardiff given the circumstances and the timing. The plane that Sala was travelling on was only discovered on Sunday and the Air Accident Investigation Branch has not said whether the body spotted in the wreckage, which was found on the seabed, is that of the Argentinian striker or David Ibbotson, the pilot.
Nantes emailed Cardiff last Thursday in relation to the payment terms and the Welsh club’s failure to transfer the first of three instalments. They then followed up that message five days later with a more direct demand that referenced possible legal action.
From Cardiff’s point of view, the priority is to establish all the facts around the tragedy. There is no suggestion that the Welsh club will not meet their contractual obligations, but at the moment there is a desire and determination to gather all the relevant information first – and that could mean waiting until an official investigation is completed.