There are “genuine concerns” for the wellbeing of Cardiff City’s record signing Emiliano Sala following the disappearance of a plane he is believed to have been travelling on.

A light aircraft which is understood to have departed Nantes for Wales vanished from the radar off Alderney in the Channel Islands on Monday evening.

Goal sources say two people were on board the plane, Sala and the pilot, but it lost contact with air traffic control near Casquets lighthouse – around eight miles north-west of Guernsey in the English Channel.

Argentine striker Sala completed a £15 million ($19m) move to Cardiff on Saturday having netted 12 Ligue 1 goals already this season and his new club expressed serious concerns on Tuesday morning about his whereabouts.

“We are very concerned by the latest news that a light aircraft lost contact over the Channel last night," the club said in a statement. "We are awaiting confirmation before we can say anything further.

"We are very concerned for the safety of Emiliano Sala."

A coastguard rescue helicopter and the RNLI joined the hunt for the missing plane on Monday, despite the disappearance occurring outside of the UK search and rescue area.

A statement released by Guernsey Police read: “A search and rescue operation is currently underway off the north of Alderney after a light aircraft disappeared from radar several hours ago.

“Two helicopters alongside the Guernsey and Alderney lifeboats are searching for it.”

The initial search was terminated at 2am GMT, with all rescue assets stood down amid strengthening winds and poor visibility.

The search was resumed once conditions improved.

A further update from Guernsey Police on Tuesday morning read: “Searching for the light aircraft PA 46 Malibu resumed at 8am this morning.

“No trace has currently been found. It was en route from Nantes, France to Cardiff, Wales with two people.”

Having seen a switch to Cardiff confirmed over the weekend, Sala had taken to social media to say his goodbyes to those in Nantes.

Cardiff City's chief executive Ken Choo had said of the deal: "I'm sure all Cardiff City fans will join me in that and we can look forward to seeing our record signing in a Bluebirds shirt."

The French Football Federation has suggested calling off Nantes' Coupe de France game against Sannois Saint-Gratien on Wednesday night due to the incident.

Cardiff are without a game until next Tuesday against Arsenal due having already been eliminated from the FA Cup, with fourth round fixtures taking place in the UK this weekend. </s> Cardiff City continue to “pray for positive news” as they wait for updates on Emiliano Sala and the plane which went missing while bringing the Argentine striker to Wales from Nantes.

Authorities continue to search for an aircraft which vanished off radar while in the air on Monday evening.

The plane, which it has been confirmed Sala was travelling on, was off the coast of Guernsey when it disappeared.

As they wait on news from English and French police forces and search and rescue parties, a statement from Cardiff’s executive direction and CEO Ken Choo released on the club’s official website read: "We were very shocked upon hearing the news that the plane had gone missing. We expected Emiliano to arrive last night into Cardiff and today was due to be his first day with the team.

"Our owner, Tan Sri Vincent Tan, and chairman, Mehmet Dalman, are all very distressed about the situation.

"We made the decision first thing this morning to call off training with the thoughts of the squad, management staff and the entire Club with Emiliano and the pilot.

"All of us at Cardiff City FC would like to thank our fans, and the entire footballing family for their support at this difficult time.

"We continue to pray for positive news."

The latest update from Guernsey Police, which was released on Tuesday afternoon, read: “There are currently two planes, two helicopters and a lifeboat searching for the aircraft.



“No trace has yet been found.



“Conditions during the search last night were challenging, with wave heights of up to two metres, with heavy rain showers and poor visibility.

“Today the sea is much calmer, although visibility was good, it is now deteriorating.

“UK authorities have been calling airfields on the south coast to see if it landed there. So far we have no confirmation it did.



“Search continues. Decision at sunset about overnight search.” </s> The search to find Emiliano Sala and the pilot that went missing during a flight between Nantes and Cardiff has resumed on Wednesday morning.

Sala - who became Cardiff City's club record signing on Saturday - was on board the missing plane which left Nantes and was due to land at Cardiff Airport on Monday evening.

But the light aircraft disappeared from radar while near the Channel Islands at around 8pm on Monday.

Emergency services launched a search which lasted more than 15 hours before being called off at 5pm on Tuesday.

And police have confirmed that the search has resumed on Wednesday morning.

They revealed that two planes will search a "targeted area" believed to have the "highest likelihood of finding anything".

A statement from Guernsey Police read: "23rd January, 7.30am update. We have resumed searching.

"Two planes are taking off & will search a targeted area we believe has the highest likelihood of finding anything, based on review of the tides and weather since it went missing.

"Coastal areas around Alderney and off-lying rocks and islands will also be searched from the air. 

 

 "Updates will be provided once information is available." </s> Rescue workers have resumed their search for the plane carrying Cardiff City’s new signing Emiliano Sala that went missing over the English Channel, Guernsey Police said.

Two planes took off on Wednesday morning to search a “targeted area” where there is the “highest likelihood” of finding anything based on a review of tides and the weather.

Coastal areas around Alderney and off-lying rocks and islands will also be searched from the air, police said.

The search resumes after a WhatsApp voice message emerged that Sala sent to friends while on the plane bound for Cardiff.

In the recording the footballer says he is “getting scared” and “aboard a plane that seems like it is falling to pieces”.

The search for the missing plane was suspended at sunset on Tuesday with rescue teams finding “no signs” of the plane.

The single-turbine engine Piper PA-46 Malibu, carrying the footballer and his pilot, has been missing since it disappeared off radar on Monday night.

It left Nantes at 7.15pm for Cardiff, and after requesting to descend, lost contact with Jersey air traffic control.

Five aircraft and two lifeboats have searched more than 1,000 square miles of sea but found “no trace” of the plane.

Guernsey Police said the chances of survival were “slim”.

Sala was signed by Premier League strugglers Cardiff for a club record £15 million to bolster their attack and was due to start training on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old posted a picture with his former Nantes team-mates on Monday captioned “the last goodbye” before flying to Wales.

Sala’s father Horacio told Argentinian news channel C5N he felt “desperate” since learning his son’s plane was missing.

Cardiff’s chief executive Ken Choo said the club were “shocked” and “distressed” by news.

Nantes’ next Coupe de France match was postponed and fans gathered in the city’s Place Royale on Tuesday night to sing songs and lay tributes. </s> The search for a plane carrying Cardiff striker Emiliano Sala and a pilot is now a recovery operation, according to the Channel Islands Air Search.

The search for a plane carrying Cardiff striker Emiliano Sala and a pilot is now a recovery operation, according to the Channel Islands Air Search.

Guernsey Police have found “no trace” of the missing plane which was carrying Sala after resuming the search on Wednesday.

The search and rescue operation has targeted an area of 280 square miles around Alderney using multiple aircraft from the Channel Islands, France and the United Kingdom.

Asked if that operation was now more about recovery than rescue, Channel Islands Air Search chief officer John Fitzgerald told Sky Sports News: “I think it is very much that sort of recovery stage now.”

“I think it’s more trying to work out what went on with the aircraft, trying to find parts of the aircraft, whatever is floating around on the surface.”

In an update published at 1330, Guernsey Police said “the search is ongoing and a decision whether to continue will be taken later today”.

The search, which was halted at 1700 on Tuesday, had begun once again at 0730 on Wednesday morning.

Guernsey Police confirmed they are conducting the search based on four possibilities.

The update read: “We are searching based on four possibilities: 1. They have landed elsewhere but not made contact.

“2. They landed on water, have been picked up by a passing ship but not made contact.

“3. They landed on water and made it into the life raft we know was on board.

“4. The aircraft broke up on contact with the water, leaving them in the sea. Our search area is prioritised on the life raft option. More updates as information becomes available.”

The chances of finding Sala alive are “slim” if the plane landed on water, Guernsey Police had said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.

Sala was aboard a light aircraft which disappeared from radar en route from Nantes to Cardiff on Monday evening.

The search resumed after a WhatsApp voice message emerged that Sala sent to friends while on the plane bound for Cardiff.

In the recording, the footballer says he is “getting scared” and “aboard a plane that seems like it is falling to pieces” as reported on Ole.com.ar.

According to Guernsey Police, the Piper PA-46 Malibu, a single turbine engine aircraft carrying two people, departed Nantes at 1915 for the Welsh capital and was flying at an altitude of 5,000ft.

On passing Guernsey it “requested descent”, but Jersey air traffic control (ATC) lost contact with the plane while it was flying at 2,300ft.

After a 15-hour search from rescue teams, which covered an area totalling 1,155 square miles, Guernsey Police revealed that “a number of floating objects” were seen in the water, but they were “unable to confirm whether any of these are from the missing aircraft”.

Cardiff chairman Mehmet Dalman, who is in France, told BBC Radio Wales: “We will not leave a single stone unturned until we have all the facts.”

Asked if Cardiff’s Premier League game at Arsenal next Tuesday would be postponed, Dalman replied: “I would be surprised if there’s a change to the schedule.”

Dalman also confirmed that the club had not booked the plane for the trip, adding that Sala had “made his own arrangements”.

On Tuesday, Cardiff’s executive director Ken Choo expressed his shock and distress at the news.

Sala, 28, was on his way back to Wales after saying goodbye to his Nantes team-mates on Monday night.

Choo described Sala as a “great person” and revealed he had been “so happy” to sign for Cardiff.

Sala had signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with the Welsh club after scoring 12 Ligue 1 goals in 19 appearances this season.

Choo revealed Sala had described joining the Bluebirds as “one of the best days of his life”.

Cardiff have been in contact with Sala’s family as they wait for news.

Fulham manager Claudio Ranieri, who coached Sala at Nantes, added in a statement on Twitter: “I was devastated to hear the news. Emiliano is a wonderful character.

“He’s a fighter. The world of football will be united in wishing for some positive news. I pray for Emiliano and his family.”

French sports newspaper L’Equipe carried the search for Sala on its front page on Wednesday with the headline: “The disappearance of a warrior”.

Nantes’ Coupe de France clash with third-tier Entente Sannois, scheduled for Wednesday evening, has been postponed until Sunday while their Ligue 1 fixture against St Etienne – originally due to take place on Saturday – has been moved to Wednesday, January 30.

Sala, a native of Santa Fe in Argentina, played at youth level for Club Proyecto Crecer in his home country before being snapped up by French club Bordeaux in 2010.

He was then sent out on a series of loans to Orleans, Niort and Caen and, after failing to make more than a handful of appearances for Bordeaux, joined Nantes in 2015.

It was in Brittany where his career began to flourish.

Sala’s hat-trick against Toulouse in October 2018 was the first by any Nantes player in Ligue 1 since 2006.

Cardiff signed the forward in a deal reportedly worth in the region of £15million, breaking the previous record of £11million paid for Gary Medel in 2013. </s> A body has been recovered from the wreckage of the plane carrying Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson.

Here is a timeline of events since the plane went off the radar:

The single-turbine engine Piper PA-46 Malibu leaves Nantes at 7.15pm for Cardiff and is flying at an altitude of 5,000ft.

An air and sea search is launched at 8.50pm after the plane disappears from radar in the English Channel.

The French civil aviation authority confirms Argentinian footballer Emiliano Sala, 28, who had just signed for Cardiff City, was on board the light aircraft. Piloting the plane was David Ibbotson, from Crowle, near Scunthorpe.

Guernsey’s harbour master Captain David Barker says the chances Sala and Mr Ibbotson have survived is “extremely remote”.

After more than 24 hours of continuous searching, with 80 hours combined flying time across three planes and five helicopters, as well as the help of two lifeboats, passing ships and fishing boats, the search is officially called off.

But the footballer’s sister, Romina Sala, begs rescue workers to keep looking for the plane, telling reporters in Cardiff that she feels her brother and his pilot are still alive. Hundreds of tributes to Emiliano Sala have been left outside Cardiff City Stadium (PA)

Further pleas for the search to resume come from Argentinian football stars Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona and Sergio Aguero, and the country’s president Mauricio Macri.

Donations to fund a private search quickly run into the tens of thousands of pounds.

It emerges that football agent Willie McKay arranged for the flight to take Sala to Cardiff but he says he had no involvement in selecting the plane or pilot. He also backs calls for the search to continue.

Relatives and friends of Sala arrive in Guernsey, having enlisted the help of shipwreck hunting expert David Mearns.

The US-born marine scientist, author and explorer, who is based in the UK, says the family still have “some hope”.

Sala’s family, including his mother Mercedes and sister Romina, take a chartered flight in a plane operated by Guernsey airline Aurigny over the area where the plane disappeared.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) says two seat cushions found washed up earlier in the week near Surtainville on the Cotentin Peninsula are likely to have come from the plane carrying Sala and his pilot. Seat cushions from a plane were found on a beach at Surtainville, France (Josette Bernard/AP)

Wreckage of the plane is located in a fresh, privately funded search which was made possible after a fundraising campaign saw more than £260,000 donated.

A body is visible in seabed video footage of the wreckage of the plane. The AAIB says the footage was filmed using an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) which was surveying the area after the plane was located.

February 6: The wreckage of the plane was discovered in the English Channel, with one body visible inside (AAIB/PA)

A body seen in the wreckage of the plane is recovered. The AAIB says the body will be taken to Portland to be passed over to the Dorset coroner for examination.

The aircraft remains 67 metres underwater 21 miles off the coast of Guernsey in the English Channel as poor weather conditions stopped efforts to recover it.

An AAIB spokesman says attempts to recover the aircraft wreckage were unsuccessful and, due to continued poor weather forecast, “the difficult decision was taken to bring the overall operation to a close”.

Dorset Police confirms that the body recovered from the plane is that of Sala.

The force says the Dorset coroner has formally identified the body and that the families of both the footballer and the pilot Mr Ibbotson have been informed. </s> PARIS (Reuters) - The search continued on Tuesday for a light aircraft carrying Cardiff City soccer player Emiliano Sala which went missing off Guernsey.

Rescue helicopters and lifeboats scoured the seas off the Channel Islands and French police sources confirmed the 28-year-old Argentine forward was on board the single-engine Piper Malibu which disappeared from radar screens late on Monday evening.

Sala joined Premier League strugglers Cardiff City from FC Nantes last week for a club record fee of about 17 million euros ($19 million). He had played in France since 2012.

Local coastguards were alerted by air traffic control at 20:23 GMT that an aircraft with two people on board had gone missing.

Lifeboats and helicopters were sent out but the search was suspended four hours later as the wind strengthened and visibility deteriorated.

Search teams resumed work on Tuesday morning and had covered more than 1,000 square miles by midday.

“At this time no trace of the missing aircraft had been found,” Guernsey police said.

Sala’s father told Argentine TV channel C5N: “I didn’t know anything because I’m away from home, I’m a truck driver. A friend who saw it on TV told me. I’m in despair. I pray that this ends well.”

Cardiff City chairman Mehmet Dalman said the club was “very concerned” by news of the plane’s disappearance.

“It gives me great pleasure and I can’t wait to start training, meet my new team mates and get down to work,” he said.

Sala scored 12 goals for Nantes this season. Officials of the Ligue 1 club did not immediately comment.

The plane had been cruising at 5,000 feet when the pilot requested to descend to a lower altitude on passing Guernsey. It lost radar contact at 2,300 feet, Guernsey police said.

France’s soccer federation said it had postponed Nantes’s French Cup last-32 game against Entente Sannois-Saint Gratien which had been scheduled for Wednesday. </s> Guernsey Police have resumed the search for the missing plane which was carrying new Cardiff striker Emiliano Sala.

Guernsey Police have resumed the search for the missing plane which was carrying new Cardiff striker Emiliano Sala.

The search and rescue operation – which included multiple air and sea assets from the Channel Islands, UK and France – was suspended for the day at 1700 on Tuesday night, with the intention to resume at sunrise.

In an update released at 7.30am on Wednesday, Guernsey Police confirmed that the search had begun once again.

“We have resumed searching. Two planes are taking off & will search a targeted area we believe has the highest likelihood of finding anything, based on review of the tides and weather since it went missing,” the update read.

“Coastal areas around Alderney and off-lying rocks and islands will also be searched from the air. Updates will be provided once information is available.”

The chances of finding Sala alive are “slim” if the plane landed on water, Guernsey Police had said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.

The French Civil Aviation Authority said Sala was aboard a light aircraft which disappeared from radar en route from Nantes to Cardiff on Monday evening.

The search resumes after a WhatsApp voice message emerged that Sala sent to friends while on the plane bound for Cardiff.

In the recording, the footballer says he is “getting scared” and “aboard a plane that seems like it is falling to pieces” as reported on Ole.com.ar.

According to Guernsey Police, the Piper PA-46 Malibu, a single turbine engine aircraft carrying two people, departed Nantes at 7.15pm for the Welsh capital and was flying at an altitude of 5,000ft.

On passing Guernsey it “requested descent”, but Jersey air traffic control (ATC) lost contact with the plane while it was flying at 2,300ft.

After a 15-hour search from rescue teams, which covered an area totalling 1,155 square miles, Guernsey Police revealed that “a number of floating objects” were seen in the water, but they were “unable to confirm whether any of these are from the missing aircraft”.

A statement posted on the official Twitter account of Guernsey Police said: “We have found no signs of those on board. If they did land on the water, the chances of survival are at this stage, unfortunately, slim.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Cardiff’s executive director Ken Choo expressed his shock and distress at the news.

Sala, 28, was on his way back to Wales after saying goodbye to his Nantes team-mates on Monday night.

Choo described Sala as a “great person” and revealed he had been “so happy” to sign for Cardiff.

“You could see from his face he is so, so happy to be here and ready to start,” Choo said in an in-house TV interview.

“Words cannot describe the look on his face when he met us, we walked him around the ground, he was absolutely ready to give it a go.

“We really feel sad to hear of this news because we met such a great person.”

Sala had signed a three-and-a-half year deal with the Welsh club after scoring 12 Ligue 1 goals in 19 appearances this season.

Choo revealed Sala had described joining the Bluebirds as “one of the best days of his life”.

Cardiff have been in contact with Sala’s family as they wait for news.

Nantes president Waldemar Kita added on the French club’s website: “I’ll always have hope, he’s a fighter. It’s not over, maybe he’s somewhere.”

Fulham manager Claudio Ranieri, who coached Sala at Nantes, added in a statement on Twitter: “I was devastated to hear the news. Emiliano is a wonderful character.

“He’s a fighter. The world of football will be united in wishing for some positive news. I pray for Emiliano and his family.”

French sports newspaper L’Equipe carried the search for Sala on its front page on Wednesday with the headline: “The disappearance of a warrior”.

Nantes’ Coupe de France clash with third-tier Entente Sannois, scheduled for Wednesday evening, has been postponed until Sunday while their Ligue 1 fixture against St Etienne – originally due to take place on Saturday – has been moved to Wednesday, January 30.

Sala, a native of Santa Fe in Argentina, played at youth level for Club Proyecto Crecer in his home country before being snapped up by French club Bordeaux in 2010.

He was then sent out on a series of loans to Orleans, Niort and Caen and, after failing to make more than a handful of appearances for Bordeaux, joined Nantes in 2015.

It was in Brittany where his career began to flourish.

Sala’s hat-trick against Toulouse in October 2018 was the first by any Nantes player in Ligue 1 since 2006.

Cardiff signed the forward in a deal reportedly worth in the region of £15million, breaking the previous record of £11million paid for Gary Medel in 2013. </s> The search for ​a plane carrying Cardiff City record signing Emiliano Sala has been suspended until Wednesday morning, local police have confirmed, with chances for survival "slim" for the Argentine.

Sala and a pilot were on a small aircraft flying from Nantes to Wales on Monday evening when it disappeared off radar off the coast of Guernsey, in the English Channel between the UK and France

A search was carried out on Tuesday but, at 5pm local time, the search and rescue team confirmed that no trace of either person aboard the plane had been found. With daylight fading, police suspended the search for Tuesday.

"During the course of the 15-hour search, which used multiple air and sea assets from the Channel Islands, UK and France, a number of floating objects have been seen in the water," Guernsey Police said on Twitter.

"We have been unable to confirm whether any of these are from the missing aircraft."

In a further update, the police sounded a pessimistic note on Sala and the pilot's chances of survival due to the cold temperature and weather conditions.

Cardiff released a statement earlier on Tuesday from club CEO Ken Choo, who said the club were "praying for positive news".

"We were very shocked upon hearing the news that the plane had gone missing. We expected Emiliano to arrive last night into Cardiff and today was due to be his first day with the team," the statement read.

"Our owner, Tan Sri Vincent Tan, and chairman, Mehmet Dalman, are all very distressed about the situation.

"We made the decision first thing this morning to call off training with the thoughts of the squad, management staff and the entire club with Emiliano and the pilot.

"All of us at Cardiff City FC would like to thank our fans, and the entire footballing family for their support at this difficult time. We continue to pray for positive news."

Sala completed a £15 million ($19m) move to Cardiff from Ligue 1 side Nantes on Saturday, and had travelled back to France to bid farewell to his former team-mates. </s> A body recovered from underwater wreckage of the plane carrying Emiliano Sala has been formally identified as the footballer, police said.

Sala (28) was identified by the Dorset coroner on Thursday after his body was pulled from the plane, which had been flown by pilot David Ibbotson, the previous day.

The families of both men have been informed, police said.

The force said in a statement: “The body brought to Portland Port today, Thursday, February 7th, 2019, has been formally identified by HM Coroner for Dorset as that of professional footballer Emiliano Sala.

“The families of Mr Sala and the pilot David Ibbotson have been updated with this news and will continue to be supported by specially-trained family liaison officers.

“Our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time.

“HM Coroner will continue to investigate the circumstances of this death supported by Dorset Police.”

Cardiff City Football Club said in a statement: “We offer our most heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the family of Emiliano.

“He and David will forever remain in our thoughts.”

The Piper Malibu N264DB plane lost contact with air traffic control over the Channel, north of Guernsey, on January 21st.

An initial search and rescue operation failed to locate the plane but it was later discovered by the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) and privately funded search teams.

The aircraft remains 67 metres underwater around 33km off the coast of Guernsey in the English Channel as poor weather conditions stopped efforts to recover it.

The AAIB has said it expects to publish an interim report within the month.

Cardiff had signed Sala for a club record €17 million and he was due to start training last month.

Nantes has demanded payment from Cardiff for the player’s transfer. – PA
In the Channel Islands, a multinational search and rescue operation for a missing aircraft carrying Cardiff City F.C. footballer Emiliano Sala resumes, after fading light and deteriorating weather conditions caused the search to be called off the previous day.