McKay accused of continuing to help set up deals without a licence
Willie McKay last night stood accused of continuing to help broker Premier League transfers without a licence to do so, a year after revealing his role in Emiliano Sala’s tragic move to Cardiff City.
The man who also booked Sala’s fatal flight was even said still to be acting on behalf of Nantes by trying to find a buyer for the striker’s former teammate, Abdoulaye Toure, before the January window closed on Friday.
The Scot’s alleged involvement in that and another potential last-minute deal was condemned by Cardiff, who last week lodged a complaint with French prosecutors over issues relating to Sala’s death.
The Sunday Telegraph has learnt that the complaint included a demand for an investigation into whether McKay or Nantes had broken French laws banning people from working as, or using, unlicensed agents.
Cardiff chairman Mehmet Dalman said of McKay’s alleged relationship with Nantes: “I’m not here to comment [on] how other people run their clubs, and the ethics they run it [with], but that’s just insane. And it’s not just Nantes. There are two other clubs.”
McKay and Nantes failed to respond yesterday after being asked if he had tried to help broker a move for Toure.
The midfielder was linked during the window with West Ham United, who were also said to have been offered another player McKay is said to have tried to place, Amiens striker Serhou Guirassy. McKay’s son, Mark, reportedly had mandates to find buyers for both players.
Unlike his father, Mark McKay is a registered intermediary and West Ham co-owner David Sullivan confirmed he had offered players. Sullivan did not respond to questions about whether Willie McKay had been in touch.
Mark McKay was also contracted by Nantes to help them sell Sala, but his father revealed his own involvement in the 28-year-old’s move to Cardiff, following the plane crash which killed the Argentine on Jan 21 last year.
The dealmaker, who has not held an agent’s licence since being declared bankrupt in 2015, even released an email he had sent to Sala admitting planting “misleading” stories in the media about interest from teams including West Ham and Everton.
McKay has admitted booking Sala’s fatal flight but has repeatedly denied being involved in the selection of pilot or plane, claiming they had been organised by experienced light-aircraft pilot David Henderson.
Henderson was arrested in June on suspicion of manslaughter before being released on bail. He remains under investigation and has yet to comment.
Willie McKay is scheduled to stand trial in September on two counts of fraud. The case is unconnected to the Sala tragedy and he last year pleaded not guilty to the charges.