Emiliano Sala: Cardiff City release statement on striker as search continues for missing plane
Search efforts near the Channel Island of Alderney continue after an aeroplane carrying Cardiff’s club-record signing disappeared on Monday night ‘without trace’
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Your support makes all the difference.Cardiff City have released a statement to express their shock at new signing Emiliano Sala’s plane disappearing as he travelled to Wales from France on Monday night, with chief executive Ken Choo saying they “continue to pray for positive news” as the search for the missing aircraft continues.
The 28-year-old footballer was one of two people on a light aircraft travelling from Nantes to Cardiff, having agreed a £15m transfer from the Ligue 1 club to the Premier League side last Saturday.
But his flight, due to land in Cardiff at around 9pm on Monday night, did not arrive and authorities have confirmed that he was on board the Piper Malibu light aircraft that disappeared near Alderney, not far from the Casquets lighthouse in the English Channel.
With the search for the missing aircraft ongoing, Cardiff chief executive Choo released a statement that read: "We were very shocked upon hearing the news that the plane had gone missing. We expected Emiliano to arrive last night into Cardiff and today was due to be his first day with the team.
"Our owner, Tan Sri Vincent Tan, and chairman, Mehmet Dalman, are all very distressed about the situation.
"We made the decision first thing this morning to call off training with the thoughts of the squad, management staff and the entire Club with Emiliano and the pilot.
"All of us at Cardiff City FC would like to thank our fans, and the entire footballing family for their support at this difficult time.
"We continue to pray for positive news."
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Choo added: “We called off training today because everybody is not in the right frame of mind. Everybody is shocked at this point in time, including myself.
“The second thing is I met him on Friday and he is such a nice person. He’s so, so happy to be here and so happy to start.
“Words can’t describe the look on his face when he met us and we walked him around the ground.
“We knew him then and we really feel sad to hear of this news because he’s such a great person.
“I think you could see the happiness in his face, one of the best days of his life as he expressed. So we are very sad, we want to thank people who have supported us today, with lots of messages and emails.”
The club continue to wait for news from officials who are searching for the missing plane, though the latest update from Guernsey Police is that there is currently “no trace” of the aircraft and that a decision will need to be taken at sunset on Tuesday if they are to continue looking in the Channel throughout the night.
“When we get some news then we will convey it from the club,” Choo added. “We have a lot of fans and supporters who are concerned and we understand, and we are concerned too.
“We are waiting for them to inform us. We are trying to communicate to the agent of the player, to his family as well.
“At this point in time we just want to know if he is ok, if the pilot is ok and if the plane is ok.”
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