The Sun Newspaper

THE family of footballer Emiliano Sala have launched legal action against Cardiff City and his former club over his death in a plane crash. 
The 28-year-old striker was travelling to join the Welsh side after signing from FC Nantes when the aircraft hit the sea near Guernsey.

Emiliano Sala’s family have launched legal action against Cardiff CityCredit: AFP

A pre-inquest review into the Argentine player’s death took place in Bournemouth on Wednesday, but a full inquest won’t be held until next year.
Sala’s family today launched civil proceedings against 13 defendants.
Lawyers for the family said the high court action had been started to “protect their legal rights”.
It includes Cardiff City – the club he had signed for just three days before his death.

They are also taking legal action against his former French club, FC Nantes, which sold him for £15million.
Daniel Machover, of Hickman & Rose Solicitors, said: “In order to protect their legal rights and remedies arising from Emiliano’s untimely death, the family have commenced civil proceedings in the high court, but will seek agreement to stay those proceedings pending the outcome of the inquest.”

The wreckage of the plane which crashed into the Channel in January 2019Credit: PA:Press Association
Sala was killed on a flight to join his new club when the single-engine Piper Malibu plane crashed north of Guernsey on January 21, 2019.
His body was recovered the following month but the aircraft’s unqualified pilot, David Ibbotson, 59, from Crowle, Lincolnshire, has not been found.

David Henderson, who is alleged to have arranged the flight, is due to stand trial in October.
He is accused of endangering the safety of an aircraft, as well as attempting to discharge a passenger without valid permission or authorisation.
A report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch previously concluded that the aircraft carrying Sala and Mr Ibbotson suffered an in-flight break-up while being flown too fast for its design limits.
It also found that the pilot lost control while attempting to avoid bad weather.
It added that Mr Ibbotson was probably affected by carbon monoxide poisoning.
Investigators found that a contributory factor in the crash was Mr Ibbotson having no training in night flying, and a lack of recent practice in relying only on cockpit instruments to control a plane.
They also found that he held a private pilot’s licence that did not allow him to conduct flights for reward.

Yellow flowers displayed in front of a portrait of Emiliano Sala at the Beaujoire stadium in NantesCredit: AFP or licensors
In January this year, on the second anniversary of the fatal air crash, Sala’s family demanded to know “the full truth” about his death.
In a statement, the family’s lawyer called for a formal inquest to be held after the trial of charter pilot Mr Henderson.
Henderson denied endangering the safety of an aircraft and attempting to discharge a passenger without valid permission or authorisation when he appeared before Cardiff Crown Court in October last year.
His trial has been set for October this year and lawyer Mr Machover, on behalf of the family, urged swift action by the UK authorities.
Machover said: “It is a tragedy that two years have passed since Emiliano’s death and we still do not know exactly how and why he died. 
“An inquest is the only way to establish the full truth. 
“I very much hope that the Dorset Coroner will now set a date for the inquest to start immediately after David Henderson’s trial, so that Emiliano’s family do not have to endure another bleak anniversary with no answers.”

The statement came one month after former Man United star Fabio revealed he spoke to Sala on the afternoon of his tragic death.
Fabio said: “In the afternoon he was going to take the plane, he asked me so many things about Cardiff, because he knew I had played there.
“I told him that anything he needed or wanted from me, he could text me. And then, in the morning, when I heard the news, it was shocking.
“Before he signed he asked me and I told him how the fans were, how everyone is in the stadium, how the club works.
“He was such a professional and to be honest, I was happy for him, because I knew Cardiff fans would have loved him. He was a fantastic character.”

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WHEN Dinamo Zagreb came in for Robbie Burton in February last year, the Arsenal kid did not hesitate.
The Croatian giants, who blooded stars like Luka Modric, Davor Suker and Robert Prosinecki, hoped to get in on the wave of young British players swapping the Premier League for a challenge abroad.

Ex-Arsenal ace Robbie Burton, 21, quit boyhood side Arsenal for Dinamo ZagrebCredit: Getty

And having failed to break into boss Mikel Arteta’s first team, the former Under-23 skipper opted to leave the Emirates after 14 years for an £800,000 fee.
Since cementing his place in the team, the Gravesend-born player has helped Dinamo to the top of the Croatian top flight.
And tomorrow he has an old rival in his sights as they play Tottenham in the Europa League.
Burton, 21, told SunSport: “It was a risk to move here. I felt I was ready for first-team football and I’d got to an age where I needed that experience.

“The history of Dinamo bringing through top, young, players like Modric has always been excellent.
“The way they brought through world-class midfielders attracted me. So many Croatia internationals came through here.
“It’s a great place to be as a young player.”
Burton, who has been capped by Wales at U21 level, impressed in Freddie Ljungberg’s U23 team’s run to the 2018 FA Youth Cup final, where they were beaten by Chelsea.

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Burton came close to making his competitive Gunners bow when Unai Emery named him on the bench for a League Cup tie against Nottingham Forest in 2019.
But after finding his way to Arteta’s senior squad blocked, he put seeking regular first-team football in front of pursuing his boyhood dream.
He added: “When the offer came from Dinamo, it was very hard to turn down. I don’t have any regrets about leaving Arsenal.
“I supported them as a kid and I had 14 years there, so I always wanted to play for the first team. I was disappointed that I never got a competitive game for them.
“Getting this chance has helped me as a footballer and as a person.
“I could have stayed in England and not come out of my comfort zone. I could have stayed at Arsenal for another year.

“Taking this step was a leap into the unknown. I’m glad I did it.
“The pitches here aren’t as good as in England, but the football and the players are very technical.
“They manipulate the ball very well. The players’ attitude is excellent.
“I’ve had to adapt. We have a lot of the ball at Dinamo most games, which is something I’m used to from Arsenal.
“We’ve got the quality to beat Spurs, but we don’t look too far ahead. Spurs is next and beyond that, we’ll see what happens.”
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Despite the disappointment of giving up on Arsenal, Burton does not rule out a return to North London — but NOT at Tottenham!
He added: “No, I really don’t think I could do it.  My heart is with Arsenal.
“It was my dream to play for the Arsenal first team, so to have not quite been able to accomplish that is probably the biggest thing that I hold on to. Maybe one day? Who knows?”

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SAUDI ARABIA’S Public Investment Fund have switched their attention from Newcastle to Inter Milan.
The sovereign wealth fund withdrew their £340million Magpies bid last July after rejecting the Premier League’s offer of arbitration to determine who would own the club.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is looking at an Inter Milan takeoverCredit: Getty

As Newcastle owner Mike Ashley fights the league in the courts over the collapsed takeover, the Toon Army hope there could still be a resolution.
But SunSport understands PIF are in talks with the Italian giants, who are valued at around £850m.
Inter are owned by China’s Suning Holdings and have been desperate to sell since the end of last year.
The Serie A leaders’ finances are a mess, with debt totalling £650m and industry insiders insisting they are close to going bust.

And a source said: “The Saudis made an approach for Inter Milan a week or so ago.
“You can’t buy two clubs at the same time and they look to have given up on Newcastle.
“They have plenty of muscle to take over Inter’s debts.
“Inter are top of Serie A and are in the new Champions League – they tick all the boxes.”

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Last week, Ashley said he is fighting “tooth and nail” with the Prem to sell to the consortium headed by PIF, which also includes Amanda Staveley and the Reuben brothers.
The sticking point for the league was whether PIF – whose chairman is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – and the Saudi state are separate entities.
The Prem contend that PIF is controlled by the Saudi state but Newcastle disagree and are seeking to overturn the ruling via arbitration.

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KAI HAVERTZ is finally ready to deliver for Chelsea and silence those who questioned his £62MILLION price tag.
The German winger has been boosted in particular by his part in Monday’s 2-0 win over Everton which locked his team into the Premier League top four.

Kai Havertz is finally hoping to get his Chelsea career going after a tough startCredit: Getty

Havertz had to overcome coronavirus and adapt to English football but now feels more settled.
He said: “It wasn’t easy to come here. Everything was new. Seven months ago I came. Now it’s time to perform. I know that.
“I know many people have doubts about me. I just try to keep working. A performance like this will give me confidence.
“The first seven months were not easy for me but you have to keep working and I did that.

“I think it was a good performance from me, but you cannot say this after one performance.
“You have to be strong in the next few matches as well and that’s my goal. I will try to improve.”
Ex-Bayer Leverkusen starlet Havertz, 21, has struggled to find a natural place in the team but as a makeshift centre-forward he put pressure on the Toffees and played a part in both goals.
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He said: “I played like a false nine and that’s good for me. I like to have freedom on the pitch.
“I think we can do a lot better — our goal is the Champions League, and I think there will be some tough matches coming.
“I think 11 games without a loss is very strong — but we can keep on going.”
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The Blues have four days to recover before going to Leeds but captain Cesar Azpilicueta, 31, reckons they have cracked the punishing routine of playing twice a week.
He said: “From the striker to the goalkeeper the team is working very hard. Everyone is doing their dirty job.
“I’m happy because you need that effort in the Premier League.”

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HARRY MAGUIRE reckons people are misguided if they think Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is too much of a Mr Nice Guy.
There is a perception among some outside the club that boss Solskjaer does not have the tough edge to drive Manchester United back to the top.

Harry Maguire has revealed Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can be toughCredit: Getty

But captain Maguire claims that is simply not the case.
The England centre-back, 28, said: “I feel he’s done brilliantly — he’s very cool and calm.
“But he’s also got the side of him where he can turn when he needs to and when the players need a little telling-off.”
Solskjaer made Maguire captain in January last year after Ashley Young’s departure to Inter Milan and the pair have a good relationship as they plot a course for United to get back to winning trophies.

Maguire explained: “We’re close. We speak a lot before training and before games.
“I give my ideas to him on how I feel the group is and the mentality of the team.
“Also what we can improve on and where we can go as a club — and he’s exactly the same.
“I’m doing everything I can to be a successful captain.

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“Obviously the main thing is to start lifting trophies and start winning football matches on a more continuous, consistent basis. I really demand a lot.”
The Three Lions defender’s tough mentality comes from when he was a youngster playing football with his two brothers.
He said: “We had a very competitive childhood in the garden, kicking each other all the time — and digging up my dad’s turf!
“My mum wasn’t too happy. But my dad was a footballer himself, who played in non-league and he just loves his football.
“The football was always on the TV and we grew up with it.
“Everything we did was so competitive, whether it was football or without it.

“Losing hurts. It hurts a lot now, it hurt when I was a kid as well. It’s hard to bounce back from losing but you also get that with more experience.”
That losing feeling is not something United have had of late.
They have been defeated in just one of their last 17 games and ended Manchester City’s incredible 21-match winning run on Sunday with a 2-0 derby victory at the Etihad.
Next up it is AC Milan tomorrow at Old Trafford in the first leg of their last-16 Europa League tie.
Maguire was thrilled when the draw matched his team against another of the great names in European football.
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He added: “When I was growing up, AC Milan were a massive club.
“The San Siro is an iconic stadium, so when we got drawn and people told us about who we got, it was an exciting tie.
“It’s going to be a great match to be involved in and a great tie to play in.”

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