Cardiff City’s bid for £104m in compensation over the death of striker Emiliano Sala has been dismissed by a French court.
Sala, 28, died in a plane crash in January 2019 while travelling to join Cardiff from FC Nantes in a £15m transfer.
The Welsh club argued his signing could have kept them in the Premier League, but judges in Nantes rejected the claim and ordered Cardiff to pay about £400,000 in legal costs and damages.
Cardiff has one month to appeal, while Nantes welcomed the ruling, saying the club was not responsible for the tragedy.
Sala’s mother attended the hearing, as Cardiff’s lawyers voiced regret and called for stronger safety standards in football transfers.
