Cardiff want £80m over Sala’s death

LONDON. - Cardiff City have hit French club Nantes with a sensational £80million compensation case, claiming the death of Emiliano Sala cost them relegation from the money-spinning Premier League.

The Bluebirds have quantified the cost of relegation from the top flight at £80m in TV rights, advertising and sponsorship, according to a new book published yesterday “The Truth — The Killing of Emiliano Sala.”

The Championship club slapped their claim during the recent Court of Arbitration for Sport appeal hearing into whether they should pay Nantes the £15m transfer fee.

The Welsh club have used the 2007 Carlos Tevez case - when West Ham broke the rules of thirdparty player ownership.

Sheffield United then argued they should have been deducted points instead of a record fine — and that the Blades should not have been relegated.

The Yorkshire club settled for £26.5m. But, including around £20m in parachute payments, Caediff’s claim amounts to £80m.

Ironically, Neil Warnock was the manager 15 years ago when Sheffield United were relegated, although he quit Cardiff just before they went down in 2019.

Cardiff hold the French club responsible for Sala’s death because agent Willie McKay acted on their behalf and organised the plane for Sala that crashed into the English Channel more than three years ago.

Warnock was convinced just a few goals from Sala would have been sufficient to have kept them up — and that they could not have bought an alternative striker as the window had shut by the time of the tragedy.

Cardiff always maintained the Premiership deemed the contract “illegal” based on the structure of upfront signing-on payments, which Nantes had insisted upon, and which the Welsh club had warned them would not pass scrutiny.