For some reason, I find this story brings home what an absolute disgrace the whole thing was more than any other I've read.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-62594529
+ Visit Cardiff FC for Latest News, Transfer Gossip, Fixtures and Match Results |
For some reason, I find this story brings home what an absolute disgrace the whole thing was more than any other I've read.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-62594529
Absolutely disgraceful affair, makes me embarrassed to be a Cardiff fan to be honest.
You are right regarding such a policy being required in such circumstances but I don't think it's a case of being wise after the event. Even low-ranking civil servants are encouraged to take cheaper flights are neither expected nor permitted to use non-approved airlines. In the case of footballers, their value can be astronomical as we know - and it makes sense for clubs to protect such assets above and beyond simply caring for their employees on a human level.
Used a discredited, dodgy agent, cocked up the player's registration and stories like this
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/footb...ealed-14019857
have to raise the possibility that they were aware of the sort of planes McKay was capable of hiring for cross channel journeys.
McKay was not Sala's agent or at least he wasn't until we became interested in him. That Daily Mirror story tells of how Warnock and Blackwell went over to France to watch a couple of Marseille players in a game with Nantes and ended up being more impressed by Sala - McKay and his son travelled with them.
I dont know about anything else but you should be embarrassed with your post. City offered Sala a commercial flight and it was turned down because he wanted to stay in Nantes a bit longer to say goodbye to his friends. Sala chose to get on the plane, even though he obviously wasn't happy with it. The flight was arranged through third parties and was nothing to do with the club. What part of all this don't you understand ?
I doubt the club gave any endorsement, they'd be all day signing papers, yes that Taxi is ok, yes you can use that petrol mower, yes that paddle board is OK.
They are grown men, it looks like there was no rule don't fly unless it's a commercial flight, which will now have ben changed, hopefully along with a big list of activities which are banned as could result in death or injury.
My understanding is that Sala was offered a commercial flight but it was due to return earlier than he wanted.
The club obviously wanted him here that day, ready for training the next morning.
Sala wasn't pleased with the arrangement as he wanted to spend more time in Nantes to say his goodbyes properly.
At some point one of McKay's sons has stepped in to offer him a later flight on "McKay's Dodgy Airlines Inc", which clearly appealed more to the lad in terms of timings. If only the club had been willing to allow him to skip training that once and booked him a flight for the next day...
I get the impression that McKay was more employed by Nantes than Sala personally, although that's something we'll probably never know for sure.
The whole thing is truly sickening.
The majority of the blame has to lie with Henderson, the man running unlicensed flights with a plane he knew to be dodgy, and a pilot that even the owner had asked him never to use.
He's possibly already out of prison, despite effectively sending this young lad to his grave.
McKay should definitely have shouldered some of the blame too, he knew damn well what kind of cowboy operation he was using.
What's even more frightening is that such flights are seemingly being allowed on a much greater and more regular basis.
The aviation industry itself clearly has a lot to answer for in that respect too. Some of these flights should never be allowed to begin with by the sounds of it.
I'd love to know the full extent of Warnock relationship with mckay including how did his two sons get contracts with us as footballers? I don't think I have ever seen someone explain the history to that particular deal
We've made some weird deals before but that one is way off the charts for me
Half hour BBC video of the story
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod...-emiliano-sala
And the comments
Audio of a telephone call to a fellow pilot has been exclusively obtained by the BBC, revealing for the first time the technical difficulties Mr Ibbotson had on the journey to France.
In it, he says he heard "a bang" during the flight and complained that he could feel a "very low mist" inside the 35-year-old Piper Malibu plane.
"I'm mid-Channel and 'bang'," Mr Ibbotson told friend, Kevin Jones, about his flight to Nantes.
In audio obtained by the BBC, pilot David Ibbotson revealed the plane he was taking Sala to Cardiff on was "dodgy".
"I'm flying along and then 'boom'. I thought, 'what's wrong?' So I put everything forward and checked my parameters, everything was good and it was still flying, but it got your attention."
He added: "That Malibu, occasionally you've got like a mist every so often. You can feel it, very, very low throughout the airframe."
Mr Ibbotson, 59, said he also realised the Piper Malibu's left brake pedal wasn't working after landing at Nantes Atlantique Airport. "This aircraft has got to go back in the hangar," he told his friend.
The conversation was accidentally recorded and has since been obtained by the BBC's Transfer: The Emiliano Sala Story podcast.
Going through security at Nantes Airport is the only time Emiliano Sala is seen with pilot David Ibbotson
Ahead of the flight back to Cardiff, Mr Ibbotson added: "Normally I'd have my life jacket between my seats but tomorrow I'll be wearing my life jacket."
The only two people on the plane were Emiliano Sala and Mr Ibbotson, from Crowle, in North Lincolnshire, whose body has never been found.