Cardiff City’s negligence claim against FC Nantes over the death of Emiliano Sala has been adjourned until December.
The Bluebirds criticised Nantes after the French court date set for 22 September was pushed back, with a new hearing now scheduled for 8 December.
Hearing moved after Nantes request
The club confirmed the delay on Wednesday, stating the adjournment was requested by Nantes, who said they were not ready to plead the case despite the date being fixed since April. In a firm statement, Cardiff said:
“Cardiff City Football Club has been informed of the adjournment of the hearing against FC Nantes, which was scheduled for September 22. The request comes from FC Nantes, which claims it is not ‘ready’ to plead the case, despite the hearing date having been set since April 2025…
“Six years after the tragedy that claimed the life of Emiliano Sala, FC Nantes must be held accountable — both for the world of football and for the player’s loved ones. Cardiff City FC reaffirms its trust in the French justice system and will be ready to present its case in court on December 8.”
The claim and the wider context
Cardiff filed the civil action in France earlier this year, seeking losses reportedly in the region of €120.2m, reflecting the transfer fee and alleged consequential losses after Sala’s death in January 2019. The 28-year-old striker and pilot David Ibbotson died when their light aircraft crashed in the English Channel as Sala travelled from Nantes to join the Welsh club.
Previous sporting rulings concerned the transfer fee, with football authorities and tribunals determining instalments were payable to Nantes, but this separate case concerns alleged negligence and claimed damages.
The club’s stance has been that responsibility lies with Nantes because, they argue, the flight was arranged by an agent engaged by the French side. What happens next
With the adjournment granted, both parties now have additional time to prepare for the 8 December hearing. For Cardiff, the deferral prolongs a legal saga that has run alongside football-governing-body decisions over the original transfer fee and subsequent appeals, and it ensures another round of scrutiny later in the year. The club maintains confidence in the French justice system and is pressing for accountability to be established in court.
Writer’s View
The delay changes little in the immediate term, but it extends the timeline for a highly sensitive, complex dispute that has lingered over both clubs since 2019. Cardiff’s language was notably robust, signalling an intent to push their negligence claim to a full hearing rather than seek a quiet compromise.
December’s court date now becomes the next hard marker in a case that sits apart from earlier decisions on the transfer fee, and the club’s insistence on accountability suggests they will resist any characterisation of this action as merely financial housekeeping. All eyes turn to Paris in December, where the legal arguments will finally be tested.
