Cardiff And Nantes Commemorate 1 Year Of Emiliano Sala's Tragedy

Emiliano Sala (Twitter @ emilianosala1)

JAKARTA - Cardiff City and Ligue 1 team Nantes will pay special tribute to Emiliano Sala. The Argentine player died in a plane crash last year.

Sala died with pilot David Ibbotson when their plane crashed in the English Channel while traveling from France to England. Sala only joined the Wales team on January 21 last year.

The Piper Malibu plane and a body were found on the seabed of the English Channel on February 3, but the strong ocean currents prevented operations to remove the bodies. Four days later, the body was identified by the coroner as Sala. Meanwhile, Ibbotson's body is still missing.

Nantes will wear a special commemorative shirt during their meeting with Bordeaux this Saturday, one minute clapping will also be held before kick-off. The jersey will be sold to fans where the proceeds will be split between the Argentine team where Sala started his career, Club San Martin de Progreso and Proyecto Crecer.

Cardiff, meanwhile, will hold Sala's memorial service at their home this evening.

The anniversary of Sala's death comes amid the lockdown of the two clubs' legal dispute over the payment of a transfer fee for the 28-year-old player. The Court of Arbitration for Sport is scheduled to take place later this year.

FIFA decided Cardiff had to pay Nantes an initial installment of £ 5.3 million, but the Bluebirds denied that decision. They emphasized that Sala's transfer documents were not completed at the time of his death.