サラ選手の移籍金、支払い命じられたカーディフがＣＡＳに提訴へ

【ロンドンＡＦＰ＝時事】今年1月に飛行機事故で亡くなったエミリアーノ・サラ選手の移籍金について、国際サッカー連盟（FIFA）から一部の支払いを命じられたイングランド・チャンピオンシップリーグ（2部）のカーディフ・シティが2日、スポーツ仲裁裁判所（CAS）に異議を申し立てることを発表した。（写真はフランス・リーグ1、ナントの本拠地の外でエミリアーノ・サラ選手に手向けられた花）
　サラ選手の移籍金をめぐっては、両クラブの主張が食い違う中でＦＩＦＡが今週、フランス・リーグ１のナントへ６００万ユーロ（約７億円）を支払うよう、カーディフに命じていた。
　これはカーディフがナントに分割して支払う予定だった移籍金のうち１回目の分に当たる額で、両クラブは合計１７００万ユーロ（約２０億円）の移籍金で合意していたが、サラ選手は移籍先のカーディフへ向かう途中、飛行機事故で帰らぬ人になった。
　カーディフは、サラ選手が修正後の契約書に署名していなかったこと、選手登録が完了していなかったことを主張し、ＦＩＦＡの決定に「極めて失望している」と話している。
　「われわれはＣＡＳに異議を申し立てる。そしてそこで、契約に関するあらゆる関連情報を考慮し、両クラブの法的な状態を完全に明確にした判断を求めていくつもりだ」【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2019/10/03-09:04）

Cardiff said on Wednesday they would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against FIFA's decision to make them pay Nantes the first instalment of the transfer fee for Emiliano Sala.
The world governing body this week ordered Cardiff to pay French club Nantes an initial six million euros ($6.5 million) in their dispute over the payment of the transfer fee for Sala.
The amount corresponds to the first instalment of the 17 million-euro fee Cardiff had agreed to pay Nantes before the Argentine, 28, died in a plane crash in January while travelling to join his new club.
The Championship club, who argue that Sala's revised contract was not signed and that his playing registration was not complete, said they were extremely disappointed by the FIFA Players' Status Committee's decision.
It would appear the committee has reached its conclusion on a narrow aspect of the overall dispute, without considering the full documentation presented by Cardiff City to FIFA, the statement said.
Nevertheless there remains clear evidence that the transfer agreement was never completed in accordance with multiple contractual requirements which were requested by Nantes, thereby rendering it null and void.
We shall be appealing to CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) in order to seek a decision which considers all of the relevant contractual information and provides clarity on the full legal situation between our two clubs.
In a statement on Monday, FIFA said it had never lost sight of the specific and unique circumstances of this tragic situation during its deliberations on the dispute at stake.
Nantes said they were pleased with FIFA's decision.
Cardiff must honour their commitments and the rule of the laws of sport, the club's lawyers wrote in a text message sent to AFP.
Nantes had previously appealed in February over Cardiff's failure to pay the 17 million euros they said was owed because Sala had already signed for the Welsh side.
The light aircraft Sala was travelling on came down in the English Channel during a night-time flight.
His body was recovered, but that of the pilot, David Ibbotson, has never been found.
A report by Britain's Air Accidents Investigation Branch in August said that Sala and the pilot were likely exposed to potentially fatal levels of carbon monoxide on the plane.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, Cardiff were relegated from the Premier League after just one season back in the top flight.