BobBobSuperBob

Cardiff now refusing to pay anything whilst there is an investigation going on .... dear oh dear Lets hope they don’t have the same attitude to anything due to Salas family

Bordeaux state they havnt made any noises about aby fee owed The first payment of £5 million was due to be paid by Cardiff on 26th January

Surely that can’t be so Either Cardiff owned the player in which case the Insurance won’t be paying Nantes And if the move for some reason had not been completed , they won’t get the transfer fee

This is going to end up , or somebody is, in the civil courts You can see it now

Think it’s a new tweak - longer quotes now have an optional expand button so don’t clog the threads (I think !) and a good one @TomF if so

Tbf Andy One was a rescue operation / search of the surface hoping to save lives This search, sadly , a recovery operation looking at the sea bed Two different searches using different methods and vessels

This whole story seems to have a murky smell about it ..... A full story to emerge for sure.... Poor lad , surrounded by crocodiles _______________________________________ Exclusive: Emiliano Sala's agents are battling a winding up order from HM Revenue and Customs The player agents who helped arrange Emiliano Sala’s doomed flight over the English Channel have been battling a winding up order from HM Revenue and Customs, Telegraph Sport can disclose. Mercato Sports – a company registered in the names of Mark McKay and the wife of his businessman father, Willie McKay – was due to face the High Court two days after Sala’s flight disappeared en route from France to Wales. Last night, McKay senior reacted furiously when approached for comment over the HMRC claim. He insisted the bill had been cleared and also indicated the mix-up took place because the Government had the company’s address wrong. A High Court official said a follow-up court date had been set for this month, but McKay claimed the case had been closed. The HMRC battle is one of two legal rows involving the family in recent months, it is understood. Mercato Sports and Mark McKay were also in dispute with Everton over a 2017 player transfer. The Merseyside club are understood to have refused to pay an agreed fee over a row involving the company’s Football Association registration. Sala’s single-engined flight disappeared on Jan 21. Both Mark and Willie have released statements confirming their involvement in helping arrange the flight free of charge to Sala. Willie described how he told experienced pilot David Henderson: “Dave, I need a plane.” However, part-time engineer Dave Ibbotson, 59, was at the controls when the Piper Malibu is believed to have crashed after leaving Nantes for Cardiff.Mercato Sports is registered in the names of McKay’s son and wife, Janis. Willie McKay was made bankrupt in 2015 and an FA source confirmed that only Mark McKay remains registered with the governing body as an intermediary. The legal wrangle with Everton over the 2017 transfer is ongoing, according to McKay. He said the club still owed the company money, but details surrounding the case are limited. A legal report filed last September says: “The claimants alleged that in 2017 they brought an unnamed footballer (“AB”) to the attention of the defendant football club (“Everton”). They claimed payment pursuant to an implied contract or retainer or by reason of unjust enrichment. Everton denied liability and further sought a stay of proceedings on the basis that Rule K of the FA Rules operated as an arbitration agreement between the claimants and Everton. There was no dispute that the Second Claimant (“Mr McKay”) was an intermediary registered with the FA. In those circumstances, it was accepted that Mr McKay’s claim would be stayed. However, the position as regards the First Claimant (“Mercato”) was less clear.” Last night Willie McKay attacked The Telegraph for looking into his company’s business dealings, but the agent had voluntarily provided details about his activities a day earlier.

Not that I’ve seen Max

Journalist for The Mail mate Both articles in Mail (Wait for predictable reponses !) :laugh: They seem to have sourced their information

Interesting about the pilot switch emerging....... An experienced pilot chartered by football agent Willie McKay to fly Emiliano Sala drafted in a 'rusty' part-time replacement and covered the costs on his credit card causing confusion when the plane vanished, it was revealed today. The Piper Malibu carrying Cardiff City's new £15million signing vanished over the Channel Islands on Monday January 21 after hitting bad weather en route to Wales from France. Mr McKay wanted his usual pilot David Henderson, 60, to carry the Argentinian striker to Britain but he drafted in David Ibbotson, 59, after asking him: 'Do you want to spend a weekend in Nantes?' Mr McKay helped negotiate Sala's £15million transfer to Premiership club Cardiff, and then heard that Sala wanted to spend a day in Nantes seeing club officials and former teammates and his dog Nala. Cardiff offered him a commercial flight for the trip, but Mr McKay offered him a private plane 'for free'. Mr Ibboston, who was known to have financial problems, is said to have told Mr Henderson that he had lost his credit card. Mr Ibbotson, a boiler engineer and part-time pilot, told a friend he was 'a bit rusty' with the instruments of the 35-year-old aircraft and it did not have the licence to carry paying passengers. Describing the time period since, Mr McKay, a mega-agent renowned for his contacts in France, told l'Equipe sports newspaper that it has 'been an absolute nightmare for us.' He said that if he had not allowed Sala to return to his old club, Nantes, to say goodbye to his former teammates and put his beloved dog Nala in kennels 'he would still be with us'. Cardiff had originally proposed funding a commercial flight for Sala but the McKay family instead funded a private plane. 'When you spend €17m on a footballer, you don't put him on an EasyJet flight,' McKay said. David Henderson, 60, (left) was meant to carry the Argentianian striker to Britain but he drafted in David Ibbotson, 59, (right) after asking him: 'Do you want to spend a weekend in NanteMr Henderson's details were accordingly given to officials at Nantes-Atlantique airport, leading to initial fears that he had been piloting the doomed flight. 'Since it was Henderson's bank card, everyone thought he was on the plane,' said Mr McKay. He confirmed he was commissioned by Waldemar Kita - the president of Nantes FC - to find an English club for Emiliano Sala. The Welsh club showed interest, and after discussions, an agreement was reached in mid-January for a record Cardiff transfer of £15million. After earning £46,000-per-month at Nantes, Sala was in line to earn £50,000-per-week at Cardiff and McKay revealed details of a letter he wrote to Sala in early January to convince him of a move to Cardiff. He wrote: 'Emiliano, I am Willie McKay. We are not interested in personal affairs; finances, holidays, baby-sitting, that is not our business. We make transfers happens. More than 600 to this day, from Didier Drogba, to Anelka, Payet, Seri and Anguissa. As far as you are concerned, we have talked about you with everyone, including Manchester, Chelsea and Liverpool. We think you are able to end up in one of those clubs.' He continued: 'We have so far received only an offer from Cardiff, freshly promoted and the manager Neil Warnock has fallen in love with you. He watched your videos then came to see you twice, against Rennes and then against Marseille. He considers you as a typical English centre-forward, like Drogba or Alan Shearer. He says Cardiff will play to your strengths. They will pay you around £50,000-per-week, plus bonuses, on a contract of four to five years. And whoever accompanies you, whether it is your agent or your mother, who, according to English law, can represent you, could claim around £1m from the deal. It is said that you did not want to go to Cardiff. It is probably our fault because we have have said in the media that other clubs like West Ham, Everton, etc were interested in order to create an interest around you.'

Interesting..... By Peter Allen Friday 31st January 2019 Football agent Willie McKay told Emiliano Sala he wanted to make 'lots of money' from £15m deal British football agent Willie McKay told Emiliano Sala he wanted to make 'a lot of money' from his transfer before arranging his tragic flight to Cardiff, a leaked email has revealed. In an extraordinary insight into the world of football transfers, McKay told the 28-year-old that he'd invented interest from rival clubs to get the deal with Cardiff City done. McKay, 59, introduced himself to Sala on January 6, days before agreeing the £15 million transfer from French club Nantes by coldly saying he was not interested in the player as a person, adding: 'It's not sentiment, just business.' In a leaked email to French publication L'Equipe, the agent wrote: 'Emiliano, my name is Willie McKay. We are not interested in your personal belongings; finances, holidays, babysitting, it's not our business.' Listing multi-million pounds deals involving players moving from French clubs to top English sides including Chelsea and Arsenal, Mr McKay wrote: 'We make transfers! More than 600 until today, from Didier Drogba, to Anelka, Payet, Seri, Anguissa. Willie McKay, wrote to Sala on January 6 introducing himself 'Let us introduce you to the way we operate and how we came to this Cardiff City saga. We work for clubs in France, and for players who want to be transferred to England. 'As far as you are concerned, we have talked to all the clubs, including Manchester, Chelsea, Liverpool. We think you could end up in such clubs. 'We approached Nantes, as we do with many players in other clubs, to obtain the mandate of sale. We are not preventing you from working with another agent, but most players are very satisfied with our mediation. 'We do not say 'we are like a father to a son to our players'. No, if you had not been a footballer, these people would not be interested in you. 'In the end they are only interested in the money. What we all want a lot of, of course. That's why we like to work with just the clubs. No sentiment, we're just doing business.' As mystery surrounds what happened to the flight. Referring specifically to the Cardiff City deal, Mr McKay wrote: 'My experience says: if you do not go for the Premier League now, you will regret it. 'It's been said that Cardiff does not interest you. But that is probably our mistake, because we 'leaked' in the media that other clubs like West Ham and Everton want you. Just to stimulate the interest in you. 'That is how we work and that may be misinterpreted by the player. But without that 'buzz' nobody would know you. Because, honestly, nobody follows the French competition [Ligue 1].' In an interview with l'Equipe, Mr McKay admitted: 'If I had never asked Nantes for a mandate to negotiate about Sala's transfer, he would still be among us'. Referring to his entire family – including his wife and three sons – McKay admits that 'the past eight days have been a nightmare for us.' Mr McKay admits that thehighly experienced pilot he chose to fly Sala from France to Wales drafted in a replacement airman for the job – with disastrous consequences. Details of the arrangement emerged following the discovery of two cushions from the plane in which Sala is believed to have died following a crash into the English Channel. Mr Ibbotson, a boiler engineer and part-time pilot, told a friend he was 'a bit rusty' with the instruments of the 35-year-old aircraft and it did not have the licence to carry paying passengers. Sala (pictured) texted his old Nantes teammates before the flight to say he was scared. He wrote: "If in an hour and a half there is no news of me, I don¿t know if they¿ll send anyone to look for me because you won¿t find me, but you'll know... Daddy, I'm so scared!" Mr McKay and his son Mark helped negotiate Sala's transfer to Cardiff, and then heard that Sala wanted to spend a day in Nantes seeing club officials and former teammates. Cardiff offered him a commercial flight for the trip, but Mr McKay offered him a private plane 'for free'. Mr McKay's choice as pilot was David Henderson, a 60-year-old who had flown light planes around the world, including the Piper Alpha PA-46 due to be used for the trip. But – for still unknown reasons – Mr Henderson drafted in another British pilot called David Ibbotson, 59. 'Do you want to spend a weekend in Nantes?', Mr Henderson told Mr Ibbotson, a part-time pilot who had admitted to friends on Facebook a few days earlier that he was a 'bit rusty' at flying. Mr Ibboston, who was known to have financial problems, is said to have told Mr Henderson that he had lost his credit card. This led to Mr Henderson having to pay for Mr Ibbotson's hotel in France, and for the flight itself. Mr Henderson's details were accordingly given to officials at Nantes-Atlantique airport, leading to initial fears that he had been piloting the doomed flight. In fact it was Mr Ibbotson who took control of the plane, and aborted three attempted take offs in terrible weather. An hour into the flight, Mr Ibbotson told air traffic control he was reducing altitude from 5,000 to 2,300 feet over the Channel Islands. It later emerged Cardiff's record signing had expressed fears for his life in messages sent to close friends. In a WhatsApp voice note, he said in Spanish: 'I'm on a plane that looks like it's going to fall apart.' Aviation experts said the chartered single-engine aircraft should not have been risking the flight in icy conditions. ATTACHMENTS

Matt - I don’t know whether this directive needs checking As I understand Cardiff did NOT wear Black armbands at Emirates at the request of the family

They are - hopefully starting Sunday The guy appointed to run it is confident, saying that the depths in the channel are shallow compared to where he’s used to operating

Yep - I accept the public purse has to make a decision at some point , accepting they will know the chances of success But you think the Premier Mega Rich might fund some further efforts Cardiff themselves were prepared to fork out 13 million for him when he could kick a football

I don’t disagree The Premier League Clubs we’re quick enough to have a multi million pound leaving gift for Scudamore Someone like Sanchez could treble that fund with one weeks wages

Amazing how this had fallen to bottom of second page old news Saw this - fair play More than £220,000 has been raised to fund a private search for missing Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala. The official search for the Argentine striker, 28, and pilot David Ibbotson, 59, was called off on Thursday. But the cash, raised via a GoFundMe page, has allowed the footballer's family to fund two boats, which started looking on Saturday. The plane disappeared from radar as the pair flew over the English Channel on their way to Cardiff on Monday night. A former Guernsey harbourmaster said the search was "like looking for a needle in a haystack, when you don't even know where the haystack is". Argentina's president Mauricio Macri has joined calls by Sala's family for the search to resume. Footballers including Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan are among 2,448 people who have contributed to donations for the private search on a GoFundMe page. Other contributors include Nantes manager Vahid Halilhodzic, Leicester City winger Demarai Gray, Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot and Bayern Munich's Corentin Tolisso.

Let’s hope he has a good lawyer

Think he said he didn’t own the plane , which appears to be so

Sky mate All The WHATS app messages, a voicemail and the McKays statement

All emerging now Whatsapp messages publicised showing The flight was arranged by Willie McKay the agent via his son Jack who is a player at Cardiff as a (free) favour USed a contact/ Company he’s used many times but doesn’t own the plane and didn’t choose the plane or pilot....people starting to duck..... So ....hmmmmm.....who paid the pilot .....for the plane.....as the Pilot not licensed for payed passengers.... ’

The Times is reporting that the plane belonged to Willie Mackay the Scottish football agent https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/s...ckay-28h7k8vc8 Emiliano Sala was travelling on a plane believed to belong to Scottish agent Willie McKay when he disappeared over the English Channel. The Argentine forward, who became Cardiff City’s record signing after joining the club from Nantes in a £15 million transfer last week, is feared dead after his light aircraft disappeared from radar screens, although a search has resumed this morning. Sala was travelling in a Piper PA-46 Malibu aircraft, a single-engine, six-seat plane, with the pilot the only other passenger on board as he made the journey back to Cardiff on Monday evening after returning to Nantes to say goodbye to his former team-mates. The plane is registered to a holding company in Suffolk called Southern Aircraft Consultancy, with a registration number N264DB, but is believed to be owned by McKay, an influential and experienced agent. McKay is not Sala’s representative, but was involved in brokering the transfer between Cardiff and Nantes and appears to have offered to arrange the player’s travel arrangements. The plane has yet to be found, but there is no suggestion that it suffered a technical fault or was unsuitable for making such a journey. McKay has excellent contacts clubs in the south of France in particular and has brought many French and African players to the Premier League over the years. McKay had not responded to The Times at the time of publication.

Apparently genuinely thrilled to have got a chance to play in Premier League apparently - so sad Knowing Neil Warnock he will use this to galvanise the players / squad

Report of signs of wreckage or floating objects Not going to end well ?

Apparently the first alert was Sala not responding to phone / social media posts etc Doesnt look good

True mate irrelevant who was on board