Time for Cardiff to care about money was BEFORE Emiliano Sal

Time for Cardiff to care about money was BEFORE Emiliano Sala died

DAILY MAIL

By Martin Samuel

Tuesday 19th February 2019



Time over again, Cardiff would no doubt have acted differently in their handling of the transfer and affairs of Emiliano Sala. The fact is, they didn't.

They didn't pay pressing attention to his return from a private trip to France; they did not ask too many questions about the interest in his services from other clubs; they were not overly curious about who got what, and why, from his transfer.

Until they were left with a £15million invoice for a dead striker. Sorry, but that's the bottom line. This is all it is about now: the bottom line. The dignified ceremonies and speeches are over, and what remains is the coldest, hardest dispute over money.

It is all about the money now for Cardiff following the tragic death of striker Emiliano Sala



What's happened to Emiliano Sala's £15m transfer fee?

Had the Piper PA-46 Malibu piloted by David Ibbotson landed safely at its destination on January 21, had Sala now been fully engaged in Cardiff's fight against relegation, had he been scoring the goals Cardiff hoped they were buying, there would not be a peep out of them about any of it.

Not just the hire, ownership and stewardship of a light aircraft, but questions about agents' cuts and inflated fees and third-party ownership and Bordeaux's 50 per cent. All the incidentals that did not seem so important when Sala was young and alive.

Cardiff are not asking FIFA, the FA — or the police, according to the most recent dispatches — to investigate any of their other transfer deals or negotiations.

They do not want them poking around in the six that involved Unique Sports Management, the company that counts Neil Warnock's son James among its employees, for instance. James Warnock is believed to have been involved in Cardiff business involving at least three players — Sean Morrison, Rhys Healey and Craig Noone — but the club seem happy enough with that.

They also do not appear to have a problem with Jack McKay, son of Willie McKay who helped broker the Sala deal, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract as a professional with the club in January 2018 despite enjoying a less than exceptional career.

McKay began his career at Doncaster — a club with which his father had been involved — before going on loan to Ilkeston, signing for Leeds, being loaned to Airdrieonians, signing for Cardiff, and being loaned to Chesterfield in the National League. Given Cardiff were third in the Championship and chasing Premier League promotion at the time of McKay's signing, this seems an excellent if unexpected break for a player who was already 21 and had scored just one goal, for Airdrieonians against Peterhead in the third tier of Scottish football.

McKay, by the way, is a striker. Since joining Chesterfield in the National League on loan from Cardiff, he has made two substitute appearances totalling nine minutes.

By happy coincidence, another of Willie's sons, Jack's twin brother Paul, was also considered good enough to be signed by Cardiff, at exactly the same time. He had also been with Doncaster and Ilkeston, as well as Gainsborough Trinity and finally Leeds, where he had played one game, against non-League Sutton United, in the FA Cup. Leeds lost.

This chequered pedigree, however, was enough to get him a contract until 2020 with Cardiff, the same as his brother. Paul is now on loan to Morecambe, currently 21st in League Two, where he has played 18 minutes across four matches.


So, nothing there that Cardiff might want FIFA or the FA to have a look at — much like the transfer of Sol Bamba, whose move from Leeds was conducted by Mark McKay, also Willie's son, via his company ExCel Foot.

Bamba went from starting the 2016-17 season as Leeds United captain to having his contract cancelled after four games, meaning he joined Cardiff as a free agent. This seems a very peculiar situation, but clearly no need for alarms — particularly as Bamba has arguably been Cardiff's best player, certainly this season, and is very much alive.

Cardiff won widespread praise for their dignified handling of the Sala tragedy but, in reality, they merely behaved with decency, as would be expected of any football club in similar circumstances.

They were respectful, they were appropriate, their manager Warnock spoke sincerely about his emotions, their fans reacted with empathy and warmth to the loss.

Then Nantes put the first bill in. It may have been crudely timed — before a funeral had even taken place — but Cardiff's reaction since has pretty much gone as expected, too.






This is the club that, in the year they were last relegated from the Premier League, 2014, wanted to sue over Crystal Palace finding out their team before a match on April 5.

This is the club that, having sacked Malky Mackay as manager and Iain Moody as sporting director, made belated allegations against both for wrong-doing over transfers and intermediary fees, which remain unproven, with the case struck out in March 2017. Much of the anger from that time centred around the signing of a young striker, Andreas Cornelius, for a then-record fee of £8m from FC Copenhagen. Cornelius, like Sala, was supposed to score the goals to keep Cardiff in the Premier League. He was a dismal flop, failing to find the net in any of his 11 games.

Vincent Tan, the owner, blamed Mackay and Moody, as if the transfer market is an exact science. He claimed the real fee for Cornelius — who has since gone on to play for Copenhagen again, Atalanta in Serie A and currently Bordeaux — was £10m and that his wages were £45,000 per week.

Had he been able to prove Mackay or Moody acted nefariously, he may have attempted to withhold or retrieve payments to Copenhagen. Sala was a record fee, too. Does any of this present pattern sound familiar?




There are 10 questions Cardiff now say they want answered before fulfilling their financial obligations to Nantes. Most of them are irrelevant to the matter of payment, or are within Cardiff's remit anyway.

Take numbers 2-6, which concern the crash itself. As documented in a national newspaper, these are: Who arranged the flight and why did that person put Sala on a single-engine plane at night in difficult conditions without adequate emergency apparatus?

Who took the decision to put Sala on the plane? Why won't the owner of the aircraft come forward? Was the plane licensed to take commercial passengers? Was pilot Ibbotson in possession of a licence to carry passengers?

These are matters for Cardiff, not Nantes. The club's refusal to take responsibility for Sala's doomed itinerary would be pathetic if it were not so tragic. On January 19, Sala's transfer was announced by the club.

'It's been a long process to secure the services of Emiliano but I'm very pleased that we're now in a position whereby we can confirm his signature,' said chief executive Ken Choo. 'I'm sure all Cardiff City fans will join me in looking forward to seeing our record signing in a Bluebirds shirt.'

Sounds pretty unequivocal. So, why is it Nantes' business who organised his travel two days later? It is said Cardiff sent Sala a text with some British Airways flight options. That's it? A text? No follow-up call? No insistence on scheduled routes? No offer of a private charter that the club could organise?

Cardiff might not have known the precise shortcomings of the arrangements, but let's not pretend they were all over it. This is their record signing — and they don't know who put him on the plane? They don't know who owned the plane? They don't even know if the flight, or the pilot, was licensed? There may be a case for gross negligence somewhere in the chain, but that is nothing to do with Nantes or their transfer fee.

Questions 7-10 concern the transfer: Was Sala third-party owned? Are Sala's previous club Bordeaux due 50 per cent of the transfer fee as part of a sell-on clause negotiated in 2015? What was transfer broker Willie McKay's cut? Was McKay's commission, or part of the transfer fee, due to be split between other parties involved in the deal — if so, who? All matters that Cardiff cared not a jot about until handed the liability for one striker, deceased.

Are they asking the same questions about Bamba's deal? Are they asking why Leeds would cancel the contract of their captain and let him go to a rival from the same division?

Are they asking why a club months away from promotion to the Premier League would sign twin brothers whose football experience places them nowhere near that level? Would they have cared about McKay's commission or the other agents involved had Sala landed safely?





What is Bordeaux's cut to do with Cardiff? None of this is their business; or, if it is, it is business that should have been investigated and resolved prior to January 19. Cardiff's arrival on the moral high ground seems rather late.

If anyone is still in the dark about motivation here, question No 1 should provide clarity: Was Sala a Nantes player when he stepped on to the fatal flight? To which Nantes should surely refer Cardiff to their chief executive Choo, two days before that journey was undertaken, being pleased to now be in a position 'whereby we can confirm his signature'.

The Premier League have also stated that Sala's international transfer certificate was registered with the FA of Wales, and that he had been named in a squad registered with the Premier League at the time of his death. Cardiff must know this, so why are they even asking?

Were Cardiff taken for a ride over Sala? Quite possibly. For reasons unknown, Willie McKay thought it would be helpful to reveal an email he sent to Sala prior to the move which stated he had deliberately released stories about the pursuit by rival clubs 'just to stimulate interest in you'.

Is that ethical? No. Is it common practice? Absolutely. The media are full of stories planted by agents, by clubs, by managers, by players, to further their business, to expand markets. Nothing McKay did is greatly exceptional and if Cardiff are seriously claiming they overpaid because of his tittle-tattle, it does not say much for their contacts.

According to reports, Sala, who had a prolific start to the season but had scored one goal in two months before signing for Cardiff, was supposed to be of interest to Everton, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Burnley and Wolves.

Cardiff couldn't back-channel that? They had no other agents to ask, no friends, no allies in boardrooms or on backroom staff? Not to name names, but to find out in what areas a club might be looking. Of the six listed, just two added a striker to their squad in January. Crystal Palace took Michy Batshuayi on loan, Burnley bought Peter Crouch from Stoke.

Playing the market is a little like poker, or any auction. It is about knowing a bluff, or sensing when a rival is prepared to go all in.

The story linking West Ham, Palace and Fulham with Sala can still be located online. It was published in the Daily Mirror on December 4, 2018, and amounts to 209 words, reading like a standard plant from an agent drumming up interest.

It's the oldest trick in the book. The People used to have a column in their northern editions called Soccer Scene. It contained brief items of gossip from across the four divisions.

Most of the information came from managers. The bloke from Doncaster would call up. 'Arsenal have been watching our right back. We'd let him go for £50,000.' Were Arsenal serious? Maybe, maybe not, but if it ran in The People, Doncaster might get a scout down from Newcastle or Everton to check him out. And they might have a chance of getting £40,000.

Pop by a manager's office in the middle of the week and, chances were, he'd have a copy of Soccer Scene on his desk. It ran for decades and, as Warnock was a player and manager at small clubs in the north throughout that time, the idea Cardiff are such rubes that 200 words in the Mirror forced them to part with £15m unnecessarily feels a little ripe.

Approaching the January window, all the speculation about Sala suggested was the presence of a decent goalscorer at Nantes, that the club were prepared to cash in and there may be competition. No efficient club suitor would have their price set by such a flimsy newspaper tale.

Is Sala's deal above reproach or forensic investigation? No. Too many agents, and there is an absence of transparency in crucial areas. The player's family, at least, deserve better, deserve answers.

Yet are Cardiff the right people to be asking the questions and are they asking for the right reasons? Not really. None of this ferocious ethical inquiry seemed necessary when Sala was alive.



There is a precise moment Cardiff start caring about where their money went. It is when Sala disappears off their radar, forever.

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Willie McKay launches extraordinary newspaper broadside at Cardiff City over Emiliano Sala tragedy

By Tom Coleman

Tuesday 19th February 2019


Willie McKay, the football agent at the centre of Emiliano Sala's move to Cardiff City, has claimed the club are 'trying to throw him under the bus' over the tragedy.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, McKay has hit out at Cardiff's treatment and claims he has been left livid by their actions.

McKay's extraordinary interview will annoy and possibly anger Cardiff officials who have done everything they can to do things correctly since the tragedy. They have launched their own investigation to try to establish the facts of what happened, with McKay's role a key part of the inquiry.

The club's lawyers are currently seeking clarification from West Ham, Everton and Crystal Palace over whether their alleged interest in the striker was genuine.

Cardiff have frozen payments on the proposed £15million deal while their investigation continues, but McKay, who also arranged the doomed flight across the Channel, has told the Telegraph that his "conscience was clear".

McKay has also reportedly told the newspaper that he has spoken to the Air Accidents Investigations Branch about Sala’s fatal journey on January 21 and had also produced a timeline of every private jet trip made as part of the transfer.

This timeline supposedly shows that his son had organised and paid for two previous flights from Cardiff to Nantes for boss Neil Warnock to watch the striker in action, while another two were arranged for the player himself, allowing him to discuss terms and undergo a medical.

None of those journeys are believed to have been carried out in the same Piper Malibu plane that went down over the Channel.

McKay claims: “The only flight everybody is talking about is the one that crashed, right? Cardiff knew everything [about every flight]."

He has once again denied that he owned the plane, while also allegedly dismissing suggestions that he had any influence over its selection or that of pilot David Ibbotson, who still remains unaccounted for.

The Scot claimed to have attended Sala's funeral in Argentina at the weekend, where he allegedly met the player's brother, and says the club didn't do enough to help the Argentine.

He added: “I met Emiliano the same amount of times as they [Cardiff officials] met him. I organised his flight. I tried to help him.

“They booked him one room at the St David’s Hotel [in Cardiff]. That’s all they’ve done for him. And they’re trying to throw me under the bus.”

Meanwhile, investigators are currently preparing a release detailing their initial findings into the tragedy.

The interim report will largely focus on the initial findings of the Air Accident Investigation Branch, which has been studying the crash site for nearly four days.



Officials have already said that it may take up to a year to publish the full findings.

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Why is it all about the money for Cardiff? Why not also all about the money for Nantes, Marseilles, all agents involved, etc?!

Daily fail... dicks!

Just re read the whole thing.

What a poisonous article. And making so many assumptions.

The worst thing about that article is that I agree with every word. We were darlings for that way we handled the tragedy (not overplaying things) but as soon as stories broke about us looking to avoid payment it was clear the goodwill we built up with the media would soon evaporate. Normal service resumed unfortunately. Just hope this doesn’t affect our survival bid.

The worst thing about that article is that I agree with every word. We were darlings for that way we handled the tragedy (not overplaying things) but as soon as stories broke about us looking to avoid payment it was clear the goodwill we built up with the media would soon evaporate. Normal service resumed unfortunately. Just hope this doesn’t affect our survival bid.

Really? The way and tone he uses to speak about our club and all involved!

This quote sums it up...

"Yet are Cardiff the right people to be asking the questions and are they asking for the right reasons? Not really."

I can give him two answers... Yes they are the right people to be asking those questions. As who else should be?! And does he know the exact reasons? His whole article is full of speculation about money. I can see what motivates him, obviously a mate of Willie's.

What a suprise Martin Samuel . Circumstances have been dictated by the call by nantes calling quick enough to call there money before Emi is even beried. Obviously a investigation will take place. We are not talking a couple of grand here.You naturally look for loopholes in the deal. Sounds like some dodgy dealings, and if it all exposes this then surely it is good for football. Martin Samuel should be exposing that and not dragging Cardiff City through the mud.

What a suprise Martin Samuel . Circumstances have been dictated by the call by nantes calling quick enough to call there money before Emi is even beried. Obviously a investigation will take place. We are not talking a couple of grand here.You naturally look for loopholes in the deal. Sounds like some dodgy dealings, and if it all exposes this then surely it is good for football. Martin Samuel should be exposing that and not dragging Cardiff City through the mud.

Exactly. Agree with every word you say.

The only thing I don't agree with in the whole business is that he was registered with FA, FIFA, etc.

Every other question the club has asked is perfectly reasonable. And the club deserve those answers. Not silly articles like this basically saying we don't!

Dalman even said we'd pay.

see the Daily Filth has started and how you can agree with that nasty poisonous trash welshbarry88 is f*cking beyond me.

I don’t agree with the tone but the motivating narrative of Cardiff looking to stay amidst tragedy is all but lost as we are trying to distance ourselves from the fact he was even our player based on absurd technicalities. Does anyone not feel slightly disappointed but our clubs actions in trying to worm out of paying? Did our club think this was ever going to look good?

Just re read the whole thing.

What a poisonous article. And making so many assumptions.

Stopped reading it after the beginning, someone trying to make a statement who actually knows very little it would seem.

Just re read the whole thing.

What a poisonous article. And making so many assumptions.

Stopped reading it after the beginning, someone trying to make a statement who actually knows very little it would seem.

Exactly. Lazy journalism. No quotes from anyone useful. Appears he's just regurgitating rumours and hearsay.

Annis why are you giving site time to an article by Martin Samuel, who has history with Neil Warnock, Samual is an arsehole who has never had anything good to say about Neil Warnock and any club that he has managed, Cardiff City being the latest club to get this biased treatment.

Annis why are you giving site time to an article by Martin Samuel, who has history with Neil Warnock, Samual is an arsehole who has never had anything good to say about Neil Warnock and any club that he has managed, Cardiff City being the latest club to get this biased treatment.

As you well know I have to put every news report out, can’t just put one side out, can’t sweep it under the carpet, just being fair, I put every City report out.

I would rather just put positive, positive, but for months ahead now this will happen, I said this three weeks ago, we will now get dragged through the mud.

Fb has it everywhere, other forums and twitter, it would look very odd if I was the only one who never.

I try to be fair and not biased.

As you know when it’s my opinion I say exactly as I feel

Now Martin Samuel we know is a West Ham fan and I can't remember him being so vocal about how West Ham managed the signings of Tevez and Mascherano, no absolutely not, he went to press blaming only one person the agent kia joorabchian.

He fell out with a number of people around that time as many thought West Ham should have been relegated ahead of Sheffield Utd who were managed by Neil Warnock.

History repeating itself with that biased bollocks if you ask me.

We need to pay up...take the hit and move on in a dignified fashion before this tarnishes us as a club for a very long time indeed. If Sala was alive now we wouldn't be questioning any of the "dodgy" dealing with the agents. The fact that we had his both sons on our books looks dodgy to me. We'll employ your sons if you you pass some good players our way....that's what it looks like to outsiders. Parading Sala as our player then trying to claim the paperwork hasn't been processed....really!!
I want us to be remembered for the classy way we dealt with this tragedy, not for trying to blame others for our own failings. I feel very uncomfortable with the way we are handling things now. It could turn out very nasty for us.

We need to pay up...take the hit and move on in a dignified fashion before this tarnishes us as a club for a very long time indeed. If Sala was alive now we wouldn't be questioning any of the "dodgy" dealing with the agents. The fact that we had his both sons on our books looks dodgy to me. We'll employ your sons if you you pass some good players our way....that's what it looks like to outsiders. Parading Sala as our player then trying to claim the paperwork hasn't been processed....really!!
I want us to be remembered for the classy way we dealt with this tragedy, not for trying to blame others for our own failings. I feel very uncomfortable with the way we are handling things now. It could turn out very nasty for us.

Your post is exactly how I feel about the whole situation and for months ahead now City will look bad to the world.
Only two weeks ago I met Ken Choo and he said it would turn sour/bad and we would not be liked.

Let Justice be done, though the Heavens Fall!

Annis why are you giving site time to an article by Martin Samuel, who has history with Neil Warnock, Samual is an arsehole who has never had anything good to say about Neil Warnock and any club that he has managed, Cardiff City being the latest club to get this biased treatment.

As you well know I have to put every news report out, can’t just put one side out, can’t sweep it under the carpet, just being fair, I put every City report out.

I would rather just put positive, positive, but for months ahead now this will happen, I said this three weeks ago, we will now get dragged through the mud.

Fb has it everywhere, other forums and twitter, it would look very odd if I was the only one who never.

I try to be fair and not biased.

As you know when it’s my opinion I say exactly as I feel

Fair enough

Time for Cardiff to care about money was BEFORE Emiliano Sala died

DAILY MAIL

By Martin Samuel

Tuesday 19th February 2019



Time over again, Cardiff would no doubt have acted differently in their handling of the transfer and affairs of Emiliano Sala. The fact is, they didn't.

They didn't pay pressing attention to his return from a private trip to France; they did not ask too many questions about the interest in his services from other clubs; they were not overly curious about who got what, and why, from his transfer.

Until they were left with a £15million invoice for a dead striker. Sorry, but that's the bottom line. This is all it is about now: the bottom line. The dignified ceremonies and speeches are over, and what remains is the coldest, hardest dispute over money.

It is all about the money now for Cardiff following the tragic death of striker Emiliano Sala



What's happened to Emiliano Sala's £15m transfer fee?

Had the Piper PA-46 Malibu piloted by David Ibbotson landed safely at its destination on January 21, had Sala now been fully engaged in Cardiff's fight against relegation, had he been scoring the goals Cardiff hoped they were buying, there would not be a peep out of them about any of it.

Not just the hire, ownership and stewardship of a light aircraft, but questions about agents' cuts and inflated fees and third-party ownership and Bordeaux's 50 per cent. All the incidentals that did not seem so important when Sala was young and alive.

Cardiff are not asking FIFA, the FA — or the police, according to the most recent dispatches — to investigate any of their other transfer deals or negotiations.

They do not want them poking around in the six that involved Unique Sports Management, the company that counts Neil Warnock's son James among its employees, for instance. James Warnock is believed to have been involved in Cardiff business involving at least three players — Sean Morrison, Rhys Healey and Craig Noone — but the club seem happy enough with that.

They also do not appear to have a problem with Jack McKay, son of Willie McKay who helped broker the Sala deal, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract as a professional with the club in January 2018 despite enjoying a less than exceptional career.

McKay began his career at Doncaster — a club with which his father had been involved — before going on loan to Ilkeston, signing for Leeds, being loaned to Airdrieonians, signing for Cardiff, and being loaned to Chesterfield in the National League. Given Cardiff were third in the Championship and chasing Premier League promotion at the time of McKay's signing, this seems an excellent if unexpected break for a player who was already 21 and had scored just one goal, for Airdrieonians against Peterhead in the third tier of Scottish football.

McKay, by the way, is a striker. Since joining Chesterfield in the National League on loan from Cardiff, he has made two substitute appearances totalling nine minutes.

By happy coincidence, another of Willie's sons, Jack's twin brother Paul, was also considered good enough to be signed by Cardiff, at exactly the same time. He had also been with Doncaster and Ilkeston, as well as Gainsborough Trinity and finally Leeds, where he had played one game, against non-League Sutton United, in the FA Cup. Leeds lost.

This chequered pedigree, however, was enough to get him a contract until 2020 with Cardiff, the same as his brother. Paul is now on loan to Morecambe, currently 21st in League Two, where he has played 18 minutes across four matches.


So, nothing there that Cardiff might want FIFA or the FA to have a look at — much like the transfer of Sol Bamba, whose move from Leeds was conducted by Mark McKay, also Willie's son, via his company ExCel Foot.

Bamba went from starting the 2016-17 season as Leeds United captain to having his contract cancelled after four games, meaning he joined Cardiff as a free agent. This seems a very peculiar situation, but clearly no need for alarms — particularly as Bamba has arguably been Cardiff's best player, certainly this season, and is very much alive.

Cardiff won widespread praise for their dignified handling of the Sala tragedy but, in reality, they merely behaved with decency, as would be expected of any football club in similar circumstances.

They were respectful, they were appropriate, their manager Warnock spoke sincerely about his emotions, their fans reacted with empathy and warmth to the loss.

Then Nantes put the first bill in. It may have been crudely timed — before a funeral had even taken place — but Cardiff's reaction since has pretty much gone as expected, too.






This is the club that, in the year they were last relegated from the Premier League, 2014, wanted to sue over Crystal Palace finding out their team before a match on April 5.

This is the club that, having sacked Malky Mackay as manager and Iain Moody as sporting director, made belated allegations against both for wrong-doing over transfers and intermediary fees, which remain unproven, with the case struck out in March 2017. Much of the anger from that time centred around the signing of a young striker, Andreas Cornelius, for a then-record fee of £8m from FC Copenhagen. Cornelius, like Sala, was supposed to score the goals to keep Cardiff in the Premier League. He was a dismal flop, failing to find the net in any of his 11 games.

Vincent Tan, the owner, blamed Mackay and Moody, as if the transfer market is an exact science. He claimed the real fee for Cornelius — who has since gone on to play for Copenhagen again, Atalanta in Serie A and currently Bordeaux — was £10m and that his wages were £45,000 per week.

Had he been able to prove Mackay or Moody acted nefariously, he may have attempted to withhold or retrieve payments to Copenhagen. Sala was a record fee, too. Does any of this present pattern sound familiar?




There are 10 questions Cardiff now say they want answered before fulfilling their financial obligations to Nantes. Most of them are irrelevant to the matter of payment, or are within Cardiff's remit anyway.

Take numbers 2-6, which concern the crash itself. As documented in a national newspaper, these are: Who arranged the flight and why did that person put Sala on a single-engine plane at night in difficult conditions without adequate emergency apparatus?

Who took the decision to put Sala on the plane? Why won't the owner of the aircraft come forward? Was the plane licensed to take commercial passengers? Was pilot Ibbotson in possession of a licence to carry passengers?

These are matters for Cardiff, not Nantes. The club's refusal to take responsibility for Sala's doomed itinerary would be pathetic if it were not so tragic. On January 19, Sala's transfer was announced by the club.

'It's been a long process to secure the services of Emiliano but I'm very pleased that we're now in a position whereby we can confirm his signature,' said chief executive Ken Choo. 'I'm sure all Cardiff City fans will join me in looking forward to seeing our record signing in a Bluebirds shirt.'

Sounds pretty unequivocal. So, why is it Nantes' business who organised his travel two days later? It is said Cardiff sent Sala a text with some British Airways flight options. That's it? A text? No follow-up call? No insistence on scheduled routes? No offer of a private charter that the club could organise?

Cardiff might not have known the precise shortcomings of the arrangements, but let's not pretend they were all over it. This is their record signing — and they don't know who put him on the plane? They don't know who owned the plane? They don't even know if the flight, or the pilot, was licensed? There may be a case for gross negligence somewhere in the chain, but that is nothing to do with Nantes or their transfer fee.

Questions 7-10 concern the transfer: Was Sala third-party owned? Are Sala's previous club Bordeaux due 50 per cent of the transfer fee as part of a sell-on clause negotiated in 2015? What was transfer broker Willie McKay's cut? Was McKay's commission, or part of the transfer fee, due to be split between other parties involved in the deal — if so, who? All matters that Cardiff cared not a jot about until handed the liability for one striker, deceased.

Are they asking the same questions about Bamba's deal? Are they asking why Leeds would cancel the contract of their captain and let him go to a rival from the same division?

Are they asking why a club months away from promotion to the Premier League would sign twin brothers whose football experience places them nowhere near that level? Would they have cared about McKay's commission or the other agents involved had Sala landed safely?





What is Bordeaux's cut to do with Cardiff? None of this is their business; or, if it is, it is business that should have been investigated and resolved prior to January 19. Cardiff's arrival on the moral high ground seems rather late.

If anyone is still in the dark about motivation here, question No 1 should provide clarity: Was Sala a Nantes player when he stepped on to the fatal flight? To which Nantes should surely refer Cardiff to their chief executive Choo, two days before that journey was undertaken, being pleased to now be in a position 'whereby we can confirm his signature'.

The Premier League have also stated that Sala's international transfer certificate was registered with the FA of Wales, and that he had been named in a squad registered with the Premier League at the time of his death. Cardiff must know this, so why are they even asking?

Were Cardiff taken for a ride over Sala? Quite possibly. For reasons unknown, Willie McKay thought it would be helpful to reveal an email he sent to Sala prior to the move which stated he had deliberately released stories about the pursuit by rival clubs 'just to stimulate interest in you'.

Is that ethical? No. Is it common practice? Absolutely. The media are full of stories planted by agents, by clubs, by managers, by players, to further their business, to expand markets. Nothing McKay did is greatly exceptional and if Cardiff are seriously claiming they overpaid because of his tittle-tattle, it does not say much for their contacts.

According to reports, Sala, who had a prolific start to the season but had scored one goal in two months before signing for Cardiff, was supposed to be of interest to Everton, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Burnley and Wolves.

Cardiff couldn't back-channel that? They had no other agents to ask, no friends, no allies in boardrooms or on backroom staff? Not to name names, but to find out in what areas a club might be looking. Of the six listed, just two added a striker to their squad in January. Crystal Palace took Michy Batshuayi on loan, Burnley bought Peter Crouch from Stoke.

Playing the market is a little like poker, or any auction. It is about knowing a bluff, or sensing when a rival is prepared to go all in.

The story linking West Ham, Palace and Fulham with Sala can still be located online. It was published in the Daily Mirror on December 4, 2018, and amounts to 209 words, reading like a standard plant from an agent drumming up interest.

It's the oldest trick in the book. The People used to have a column in their northern editions called Soccer Scene. It contained brief items of gossip from across the four divisions.

Most of the information came from managers. The bloke from Doncaster would call up. 'Arsenal have been watching our right back. We'd let him go for £50,000.' Were Arsenal serious? Maybe, maybe not, but if it ran in The People, Doncaster might get a scout down from Newcastle or Everton to check him out. And they might have a chance of getting £40,000.

Pop by a manager's office in the middle of the week and, chances were, he'd have a copy of Soccer Scene on his desk. It ran for decades and, as Warnock was a player and manager at small clubs in the north throughout that time, the idea Cardiff are such rubes that 200 words in the Mirror forced them to part with £15m unnecessarily feels a little ripe.

Approaching the January window, all the speculation about Sala suggested was the presence of a decent goalscorer at Nantes, that the club were prepared to cash in and there may be competition. No efficient club suitor would have their price set by such a flimsy newspaper tale.

Is Sala's deal above reproach or forensic investigation? No. Too many agents, and there is an absence of transparency in crucial areas. The player's family, at least, deserve better, deserve answers.

Yet are Cardiff the right people to be asking the questions and are they asking for the right reasons? Not really. None of this ferocious ethical inquiry seemed necessary when Sala was alive.



There is a precise moment Cardiff start caring about where their money went. It is when Sala disappears off their radar, forever.

All the players they quoted were at the club before warnock took over

Also.they are missing the words subject to international clearance from there quotes too

What a shit article from a shit reporter working for a white rag with nothing but contempt for our club. Intent on not picking about former Cardiff deals (most of which were conducted prior to Warnock being appointed) misses some obvious loopholes in his thought process. McKay admits to making all the arrangements apart from an overnight stay in St David's hotel for Sala but denies having anything to do with the deal (due to bankruptcy) and literally points the finger at his sons. A better question would have been why he was getting so involved in flogging Sala making all arrangements when he is not the players agent. His direct unnecessary involvement is responsible for Salas death.

What a shit article from a shit reporter working for a white rag with nothing but contempt for our club. Intent on not picking about former Cardiff deals (most of which were conducted prior to Warnock being appointed) misses some obvious loopholes in his thought process. McKay admits to making all the arrangements apart from an overnight stay in St David's hotel for Sala but denies having anything to do with the deal (due to bankruptcy) and literally points the finger at his sons. A better question would have been why he was getting so involved in flogging Sala making all arrangements when he is not the players agent. His direct unnecessary involvement is responsible for Salas death.

Agree Nantes were using a banqkrupt banned agent to sell him to us

Also.they are missing the words subject to international clearance from there quotes too

read it again..
I read the FAW confirmed it weeks ago but its also in this article.

but come on it doesn't take almost a month to make a confirmation phone call.

We need to pay up...take the hit and move on in a dignified fashion before this tarnishes us as a club for a very long time indeed. If Sala was alive now we wouldn't be questioning any of the "dodgy" dealing with the agents. The fact that we had his both sons on our books looks dodgy to me. We'll employ your sons if you you pass some good players our way....that's what it looks like to outsiders. Parading Sala as our player then trying to claim the paperwork hasn't been processed....really!!
I want us to be remembered for the classy way we dealt with this tragedy, not for trying to blame others for our own failings. I feel very uncomfortable with the way we are handling things now. It could turn out very nasty for us.

Your post is exactly how I feel about the whole situation and for months ahead now City will look bad to the world.
Only two weeks ago I met Ken Choo and he said it would turn sour/bad and we would not be liked.

same here
someone screwed up with insurance and now there is a desperate attempt to get out of the deal.

Also.they are missing the words subject to international clearance from there quotes too

read it again..
I read the FAW confirmed it weeks ago but its also in this article.

but come on it doesn't take almost a month to make a confirmation phone call.

International clearance has not been comfirmed by anyone he might of been registured with the faw but not with the fa Premier league so the transfer was not complete

Also.they are missing the words subject to international clearance from there quotes too

read it again..
I read the FAW confirmed it weeks ago but its also in this article.

but come on it doesn't take almost a month to make a confirmation phone call.

International clearance has not been comfirmed by anyone he might of been registured with the faw but not with the fa Premier league so the transfer was not complete

read it again

but. being registered for a competition has zero to do with who holds his registration. other players have not been registered with the PL by clubs who own their registration .

Also.they are missing the words subject to international clearance from there quotes too

read it again..
I read the FAW confirmed it weeks ago but its also in this article.

but come on it doesn't take almost a month to make a confirmation phone call.

International clearance has not been comfirmed by anyone he might of been registured with the faw but not with the fa Premier league so the transfer was not complete

read it again

but. being registered for a competition has zero to do with who holds his registration. other players have not been registered with the PL by clubs who own their registration .

Being registered for the the premier league is a condition of his registration, you don't honestly think that he would be our registered player before being confirmed that he could have played in the premier league?

Also.they are missing the words subject to international clearance from there quotes too

read it again..
I read the FAW confirmed it weeks ago but its also in this article.

but come on it doesn't take almost a month to make a confirmation phone call.

International clearance has not been comfirmed by anyone he might of been registured with the faw but not with the fa Premier league so the transfer was not complete

read it again

but. being registered for a competition has zero to do with who holds his registration. other players have not been registered with the PL by clubs who own their registration .

Being registered for the the premier league is a condition of his registration, you don't honestly think that he would be our registered player before being confirmed that he could have played in the premier league?

of course inquiries had been made regarding eligibility with the PL.{ although reading some of the things that have gone on , who knows ?
but you can not actually register a player in a competition who is not your player. you can not put the cart before the horse.
hypothetically we could sign a player who we intend to immediately loan out.
anyway its been confirmed he was registered so redundent.

Yes lets forget the £30m this transfer will cost us and pay up! lets leave poor nante and the agents alone We musn't tarnish their reputation must we?