by Bryn Goodall
CARDIFF City record signing Emiliano Sala has been confirmed to be on board a light aircraft which has gone missing in the English Channel.
Sala, 28, left Nantes for Cardiff on Monday evening around 19:15, after a final visit to his former teammates to say goodbye before heading back to his new team in the Welsh capital.
The light aircraft had reportedly tried to take off three times before successfully getting airborne and heading for Cardiff.
It is also reported that the aircraft requested an emergency landing near Guernsey mid-flight but was eventually lost on tracking systems at 20:23 when Guernsey coastguard received an alert from Jersey Air Traffic Control.
Searches were carried out until 2:00am this morning when the search was put on hold until first light due to visibility issues.
Cardiff City released a statement today at around 14:20.
‘We continue to pray for positive news,’ is the note the South Wales club finish on in the statement.
They also include that the owner, Vincent Tan, and chairman Mehmet Dalman, are ‘very distressed about the situation’.
There has been a large media presence outside the Cardiff City Stadium since very early this morning with media interest only intensifying as the day goes on.
Sala’s father has been interviewed by Argentinian news stations and has said that he is ‘desperate’ and ‘hopes everything goes well’.
The FC Nantes president has branded Sala a ‘nice boy’ and has said he is ‘loved by everyone’. He went on to say that he is ‘still hoping that it is not finished’.
Leicester City have been quick to support Cardiff City during the difficult time, which comes as no surprise after Cardiff were commended for their treatment of Leicester when they visited Cardiff for their first game after the death of their owner.
