The passing away of Emiliano Sala earlier this year was one of the most heartbreaking moments to have occurred in football recently. Unfortunately, ugliness soon followed when Cardiff and Nantes entered into a dispute over the late Argentine’s transfer fee, with FIFA now threatening to hand out a ban as punishment.
His former Ligue 1 employers agreed to sell the forward to the then Premier League outfit for approximately $19M. Unfortunately, the plane carrying the South American to Cardiff never made its final destination and the Bluebirds are now refusing to pay the agreed-upon amount.
World football’s governing body announced in September that the Championship side must pay the first installment for the late Sala, worth $6.7M, which was due back in January 2019 after receiving a complaint from Nantes. FIFA have now revealed that they will slap Cardiff City with a three-window transfer ban should they fail to comply.
The English club are arguing that the deal is not legally binding and that they are not liable for the fee as he was not official their player when he died. FIFA, however, did not accept this ground
The governing body also stated that the club wouldn’t face the threat of a transfer ban should they pay the aforementioned amount within 45 days. Hopefully, this will bring an end to the unpleasant legal battle that followed Sala’s tragic departure but it appears unlikely as Cardiff are tipped to lodge an appeal to CAS.
