The sad legal dispute between Welsh club Cardiff City and French club Nantes has come to a potential end, as the Commercial Court of Nantes dismissed Cardiff's claims on Monday. The Court orders Cardiff to pay €480,000/£400,000 in legal fees and moral damages suffered by FC Nantes.
Now, the Welsh club has the right to appeal, but they are still obliged to pay. If they choose to appeal, the process could still continue for years. According to BBC, the club and their lawyers will take some time to reflect on the verdict.
On January 19, 2019, Cardiff City announced the signing of the Argentinian striker Emiliano Sala, for a fee £15 million, a record for the club, who was trying to avoid relegation from Premier League. Two days later, Sala's plane crashed in the English Channel when travelling from Nantes to Cardiff. Sala and the pilot were found dead days later.
A legal dispute between Cardiff and Nantes started, with the Welsh club holding the French club responsible for the accident, as the flight had been organised by an intermediary enlisted by Nantes; it was later found that the flight was unlicensed, but the club was not responsible for organising the flight.
In total, Cardiff demanded Nantes pay €120m/£104m in compensation for loss of income and other damages, based on the belief that Sala could have kept the club in the Premier League; they are now in League One, third division in England. But the French court has ruled against the English club, as did FIFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sports earlier, also dismissing Cardiff's claims.