Cardiff City Face Transfer Ban Over Emiliano Sala Payments

Cardiff City face a transfer ban if they don't pay their first installment of the move for Emiliano Sala from Ligue 1 side Nantes, with the Premier League side having just 10 days to pay.

The sad story of Emiliano Sala's death is very much a human story but unfortunately there is still a football story that surrounds him and Cardiff City could find themselves in trouble over the transfer.

Sala's plane disappeared over the English channel as he flew back from Nantes to Cardiff on January 21st, just two days after he had signed for the Premier League side.

PA

Earlier this week the wreckage of the plane was found with one body still inside. On Thursday night the body was identified as the former Nantes striker, with pilot David Ibbotson still missing.

Sadly Sala never got to play for the Bluebirds but as his International Transfer Certificate had been registered with the Welsh FA already his £15 million transfer had gone through.

As such the transfer fee is owed to the Ligue 1 side but Cardiff are yet to pay for the player. As per the Times the Welsh side now face a possible transfer ban if they don't pay the first £5 million installment in the next 10 days.

Cardiff City

FIFA's rules state that the owed club "must have put the debtor club in default in writing and have granted a deadline of at least ten days for the debtor club to comply with its financial obligation," and Nantes have already started the process.

The French side emailed their Welsh counterparts last Thursday and then wrote to them on Tuesday demanding the first payment.

The world governing body could hit Neil Warnock's team with a reprimand, a fine or a transfer ban for either one or two transfer windows.

Tribute from Cardiff fans. Image: PA Images

Sala played for the French club for four years from 2015, playing 133 times and scoring 48 goals before his move to Cardiff in January.

The club paid tribute to him in their first game since the crash last week when the game was stopped on nine minutes, to represent the shirt number he wore.

Topics: Emiliano Sala, Ligue 1, Transfer rumours, Premier League, Transfer news, Cardiff City

Ryan Sidle

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