Emiliano Sala’s family launch legal action against Cardiff and Nantes

Emiliano Sala died in a plane crash two years ago

The family of Emiliano Sala have launched legal action against Cardiff City and Nantes over his death in a plane crash in January 2019. Sala, 28 at the time, had signed for Cardiff from Nantes in a £15m deal when the plane taking him to Wales disappeared from radar. The aircraft was located in the English Channel the following month, with the footballer's body recovered. The plane's pilot, 59-year-old David Ibbotson, has not been found. Over two years on, legal representatives for Sala's family have confirmed high court action has started to "protect their legal rights". David Henderson, the man who is alleged to have arranged Sala's flight from France to Cardiff, is due to stand trial in October, facing accusations of endangering safety of an aircraft and attempting to discharge a passenger without valid permission or authorisation. With a pre-inquest review of the footballer's death scheduled to take place in Bournemouth next week, details of the high court action launched by Sala's family have emerged. The family are said to be prepared for proceedings  to be delayed until after the inquest and trial of Henderson.

"The family of Emiliano Sala are asking the coroner to fix the inquest date when she reviews matters, with a date soon after the trial of David Henderson, which has been fixed for 18 October 2021," explained Daniel Machover, a lawyer from Hickman & Rose Solicitors

"In the meantime, in order to protect their legal rights and remedies arising from Emiliano’s untimely death, the family have commenced civil proceedings in the high court, but will seek agreement to stay those proceedings pending the outcome of the inquest.

"That makes it all the more important for the inquest date to be fixed, so everyone can plan accordingly.

"Most importantly, the family know that the inquest will provide the answers to the very many questions they have about what went wrong in January 2019 and why Emiliano's life was cut short."