CAS orders Cardiff to make Emiliano Sala payment to Nantes

Cardiff have been ordered to pay the first instalment of Emiliano Sala's transfer fee after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled the deal was complete before his death.

The Argentinian joined the Championship club from Nantes in January 2019, and the French side’s claim for the first €6m under the terms of the deal has been upheld by CAS.

Sala died when the light aircraft he was travelling in from France crashed into the English Channel on 21 January, 2019, two days after Cardiff had announced his signing.

His body was found and recovered from the wreckage of the aircraft in February of that year. The body of pilot David Ibbotson has not been found.

A statement issued by CAS on Friday afternoon read: "The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the appeal filed by Cardiff City Football Club against Football Club de Nantes in relation to the decision issued by the bureau of the FIFA players’ status committee on 25 September, 2019 (the challenged decision)."