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> 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> Wreckage from a plane carrying Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala has been discovered in the English Channel.The Piper Malibu N264DB was lost on 21 January on its way from Nantes, France to Cardiff, with the Argentine striker and pilot David Ibbotson on board. David Mearns, who …read more via Modern Ghana News – http://bit.ly/2Gsbo4P Get More Nigeria Sports News </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> Emiliano Sala’s plane went missing on January 21 on a flight from Nantes LOIC VENANCE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

A body recovered from the wreck of an aircraft on the bed of the Channel was identified last night as that of the Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala.

Dorset police said that a coroner had confirmed that remains brought to the surface on Wednesday night and taken to Portland were those of the 28-year-old striker, who vanished during a flight to Cardiff from Nantes, western France, on January 21. His family has been informed.

Liaison officers were also supporting the family of David Ibbotson, 59, the pilot of the Piper Malibu and the only other person on board, the force said.

Sala had signed for Cardiff City for a club record £15 million four days before he went missing.

The official search for the aircraft was… </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> The future of the search for a plane carrying Cardiff striker Emiliano Sala and a pilot is now in doubt, with Guernsey Police saying they are considering whether it should be continued.

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

Meanwhile, Channel Islands Air Search say the mission has become a “recovery operation”.

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 280sq miles around Alderney using multiple aircraft from the Channel Islands, France and the UK.

Asked if that operation was now more about recovery than rescue, Channel Islands Air Search chief officer John Fitzgerald said: “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.”

Guernsey Police said there were three planes and one helicopter involved in the search, but nothing had been seen which could be attributed to the missing plane.

Guernsey Police confirmed that they are conducting that 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 earlier during 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.

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 (1,524m).

On passing Guernsey it “requested descent”, but Jersey air traffic control (ATC) lost contact with the plane while it was flying at 2,300ft (701m).

After a 15-hour search from rescue teams, which covered an area totalling 1,155 square miles (340 sq m), 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 30th.

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 (€17 million), breaking the previous record of £11million (€12.53 million) paid for Gary Medel in 2013.– PA/Reuters </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.
A Piper Malibu light aircraft, carrying two people on a flight from Nantes to Cardiff, goes missing off the coast of Alderney in the Channel Islands. A major search and rescue operation is underway. Cardiff City F.C. footballer Emiliano Sala is confirmed to have been on board the missing aircraft.