Cardiff City have reportedly served Nantes with an £80million compensation claim, believing the death of Emiliano Sala cost them relegation from the Premier League.
A new book about what happened to Sala has just been published, with some of the details from it reported in the London media. Sala was due to sign for the Bluebirds in January 2019, but the plane carrying him from France crashed in the English Channel and the striker tragically died at the age of 28.
Then-Bluebirds manager Neil Warnock was of the firm belief that Sala's goals would have kept Cardiff in the top flight that season. They were scrapping against the drop at the time and ultimately finished only two points behind 17th-placed Brighton.
READ MORE: The full story of Cardiff City's court case against Nantes over Emiliano Sala
And now, according to The Sun and the new book, it has come to light that Cardiff believe the relegation ultimately cost them £80m in lost TV rights, advertising and sponsorship opportunities. The Welsh club are said to have put forward their claim in the recent Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing in Switzerland, which will decide whether Cardiff have to pay the £15m transfer fee to Nantes.
It is understood Cardiff's CAS case centres around two strands. The first is over whether they or Nantes owned Sala and thus whether Cardiff are liable for the £15m transfer fee.
The second is thought to centre around the compensation package, should CAS judges rule against Cardiff. If Cardiff win the first part of the case, it might be they opt not to proceed with the compensation claim.
Cardiff were initially told to pay the money by FIFA in the first hearing, but the Bluebirds appealed the decision to CAS and await the outcome.
The Sun's report adds that Cardiff have used the 2007 Carlos Tevez case as an example, when West Ham were found to have broken the rules pertaining to third-party player ownership. Sheffield United then argued that West Ham should have been docked points instead of getting hit with a monetary fine — they were told to pay a record £5.5m — which would have kept the Blades in the Premier League.
Sheffield United, who were then managed by Warnock, eventually settled for £26.5m, but Cardiff are asking for three times as much.
Cardiff hold the belief that Nantes are responsible for Sala's death because agent Willie McKay acted on the French club's behalf and organised the ill-fated flight. They also argue that Sala's transfer was not complete because the striker was not eligible to play in the Premier League at the time of his passing.
