The Killing of Emiliano Sala (2021 Edition)

When the single-engined Piper Malibu plane carrying Cardiff City's record £15m signing, Emiliano Sala, crashed into the English Channel on 21st January 2019 killing both the footballer and the pilot, David Ibbotson, it shone a light on the murky world of football transfers. A combination of Sala’s upturn in form for his club Nantes, the desperation of Cardiff City to find a striker to avoid relegation from the Premier League and the opportunism of football agent Willie McKay smoothed the way to a £15m transfer. It was a deal that seemed to suit all parties until tragedy struck...Sala’s death sparked investigations by more than one UK police force, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, FIFA, the Premier League, the FA, the FA of Wales, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), and the French Prosecutor and it has already led to the imprisonment of two people and the arrest of another for manslaughter (later released) with the potential for many more to follow.In the aftermath of the footballer’s death the Daily Telegraph investigated the roles of Willie McKay, his favoured pilot David Henderson and the two clubs. Investigative journalist Harry Harris assisted the Telegraph team using his unrivalled contacts within the game to gain a fuller picture of this tragic transfer. What he and the Telegraph team uncovered will reverberate through football for years to come because, as Harry makes clear here, the killing of Emilano Sala was no accident.