LONDON • The search for missing Cardiff City player Emiliano Sala should no longer be considered a rescue operation, said the chief officer of Channel Islands Air Search last night.
"It's getting to that stage now," he said in a telephone interview. "There's a lot of people still on the hunt," said John Fitzgerald, adding that hopes of finding survivors are "very much plucking at straws".
A joint French and British search effort resumed yesterday with airplanes, helicopters and ships.
Sala, who signed for Cardiff on Saturday from French Ligue 1 club Nantes for a club-record fee of £15 million (S$26.4 million), was flying to the Welsh capital on a single-engine Piper PA-46 Malibu aircraft when air traffic controllers lost contact with it off the English Channel island of Guernsey.
Floating objects have since been found in the Channel and, at press time, the operation was ongoing.
The Argentinian Sala reportedly sent a voicemail message to his father saying he was frightened the plane was about to break up.
In a transcript of the call, quoted by the Mirror, he said: "I'm here on a plane that looks like it's about to fall apart, and I'm going to Cardiff…
"If in an hour and a half you have no news from me, I don't know if they are going to send someone to look for me because they cannot find me. But you know… Dad, how scared am I!"
He sent a similar audio message in Spanish to a group of friends on WhatsApp, said Diego Rolan, a Uruguayan footballer who told a radio station in his home country that he was among the recipients of the message.
The man speaking sounded calm, asking his friends how they are doing, looking forward to joining his new team, complaining of being tired, and even yawning. But he also returned several times to his concern about the flight.
Hundreds of fans, many in tears, also gathered in Nantes' city centre on Tuesday evening for an emotional tribute to the missing player, laying bouquets of yellow flowers while chanting Sala's name.
His former club said in a statement the tribute was a spontaneous initiative by fans before thanking "supporters and the entire football family for the numerous expressions of support".
Amid the outpouring of grief, many have wondered why Sala was travelling in a propeller plane, but Cardiff told news website Wales Online they had offered their new striker a commercial flight.
"We spoke to the player and asked him if he wanted us to make arrangements for his flight to have been commercial," club chairman Mehmet Dalman said.
"He declined. I can't tell you who arranged the flight because I don't know at this stage, but it wasn't Cardiff."
Dalman added Bluebirds manager Neil Warnock was in a "state of shock".
He said: "Neil is human and he's affected as much as we all are. At the moment, there's a vacuum of information , it's very unsettling.
"We're still praying, we still have prayers. Cardiff will be involved with the investigation. We won't leave a single stone unturned until we have all the facts."
According to the BBC, Cardiff have no plans to rearrange their next match, a Premier League trip to Arsenal next Tuesday.
NYTIMES, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, THE GUARDIAN
Football: Qatar players cleared in eligibility row just before Asian Cup final against four-time champs Japan ABU DHABI (AFP) - Asia's football body dismissed a protest claiming that two Qatari players, including Asian Cup top scorer Almoez Ali, were ineligible to play just hours before the final on Friday (Feb 1).
Latest ASIAN CUP | The Straits Times
This experience ranges from a reporting at a local level, to spending time on a national sports desk, as well as being a Tottenham season ticket holder. When I'm not watching Spurs, I like to play sport, write fiction novels, and chill out with some online gaming.
Sigurdsson is now the leading Icelandic goalscorer in the Premier League, moving two clear of the 55 scored by former Chelsea player Eidur Sigurdsson double helps Everton sink Cardiff Home
Top 10 Greatest Comebacks In Football History - YouTube
Barcelona have one hand firmly on the La Liga title after winning 2-0 at Alaves on Tuesday, leaving them 12 points clear at the top of the table with four games to play. Should second-place Atletico Madrid lose at Valencia on Wednesday or against Real Valladolid on Saturday, Barcelona will be champions before they face Levante that evening.
Barcelona on verge of Liga title after beating Alaves
Recalling Origi's "lucky goal", the Portuguese supervisor additionally mocked the style by which the Reds boss celebrated the win as if it "was the final of a World Cup". EVERTON V LIVERPOOL. Singtel TV Ch102 & StarHub Ch227, Monday, 12.15am
WOMEN'S WORLD CUP TICKET PACKAGE | Cincinnati Reds
All eyes on France star in key clash BARCELONA • Antoine Griezmann had been set to move to Barcelona last summer in one of football's biggest transfers of all time. The seemingly nailed-on deal, however, failed to materialise after Atletico Madrid managed to convince the France forward that they were making progress, leading him to sign a new
All eyes on France coach Blanc ahead of key Romania clash
Reds & Toffees win, Blues lose. foxsports Jan 3, 2013 at 6:15a ET . share url email fbmsngr whatsapp sms. Liverpool moved up to eighth in the Premier League table as they
Wigan 0 Everton 1: Tim Cahill heads late winner as Toffees
Mohamed Salah Calls For Gender Equality, Urges People to Treat Women Better Mohamed Salah was named one of the US magazine's 100 most influential figures of the year, alongside Tiger Woods, LeBron James and Naomi Osaka.
'Mo' Salah Asks Muslim World To Treat Women Better - The New
Man City could get transfer ban: report, Football News & Top
Rescuers try to recover body from Sala's plane, Football News
BRIGHTON, England (REUTERS) - Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg scored the goal as Southampton withstood a second-half onslaught from Brighton & Hove Albion to secure a vital 1-0 Premier League victory on Saturday (March 30). The win put the relegation-threatened Saints level with Brighton on 33 points, five above the drop zone.
Hojbjerg strike gives Southampton 1-0 win at Brighton
Football News -BARCELONA (REUTERS) - Barcelona closed in on the La Liga title on Saturday (April 20) after earning a hard-fought 2-1 win over Real Sociedad at the Nou Camp, with goals from
Barca put one hand on title after edging past Sociedad
Mauricio Pochettino plans to ruin old pal Pep Guardiola's Champions League bid Description: Aware of the harsh prism through which his European record is viewed, Guardiola went on the defensive when asked on Tuesday if he had extra motivation to win the competition again.
Pochettino plans to ruin old pal Guardiola's Champions League
Ronaldo 'risks missing' Champions League quarter-final first leg
0 comments:
Post a Comment