FAMILY MOURNS SALA AFTER BODY IN WRECKAGE IDENTIFIED

BOURNEMOUTH: Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala’s family grieved on Friday after British authorities formally identified his body as the one recovered from the submerged wreckage of a plane that went down in the English Channel more than two weeks ago.

“We can now begin to mourn our son and our brother,” the Cardiff City striker’s family said in a statement. “We would like to thank you for all of your signs of affection and support in the most painful time of our life. To see everyone doing everything possible to join us in the search has been a precious help to us,” the family said.

Argentine footballing idols Diego Maradona and Gabriel Batistuta also paid tribute to Sala, 28.

The Premier League player’s former French club, Nantes, said it was retiring the jersey with Sala’s number 9 on it. All Ligue 1 and 2 matches in France this weekend will be preceded by a minute of applause for him.

The light aircraft carrying Sala from Nantes to his new team disappeared near the British island of Guernsey on January 21.