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
The Merlion Cup returns for an eighth edition this June in a new format after a 10-year hiatus. First introduced in 1982, the invitational tournament was an annual affair until 1986 and saw participation from teams hailing from 18 countries including Australia, Iraq, China and Chile in past editions.
Merlion Cup returns after 10 years - au.sports.yahoo.com
LYON (France): Barcelona were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw at Olympique Lyonnais in their Champions League last-16 first leg on Tuesday as both sides remained undefeated in this season's
LONDON (REUTERS) - AFC Wimbledon delivered an FA Cup fourth-round shock as the League One strugglers humbled Premier League West Ham United 4-2 in a gripping tie in south-west London on Saturday
AFC Wimbledon humble West Ham in FA Cup shock
Guardiola Stays Cool Despite Shock Man City Defeat League football match between Manchester City and Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, northwest England, on December 22, 2018
Pep Guardiola Stays Cool Despite Shock Man City Defeat
Crowds flock to Argentine village to pay tribute to footballer Sala Through the morning, mourners gathered for a public vigil in a gymnasium in Progreso, the small farming town in Santa Fe province which Sala left as a teenager to play in Europe.
Crowds flock to Argentine village to pay tribute to
Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha has been given a one-match ban by the Football Association for improper conduct after sarcastically applauding referee Andre Marriner. Zaha was punished following
Palace's Zaha banned for referee sarcastic clap - Pulse Nigeria
Klopp plays down Liverpool fatigue concerns ahead of season run-in. Klopp plays down Liverpool fatigue concerns ahead of season run-in. Soccer Football - Champions League - Liverpool
Klopp plays down Liverpool fatigue concerns ahead of season
english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentP/6/330292/Sports/Klopp-plays-down-Liverpool-fatigue-concerns-ahead-.aspx
Klopp plays down Liverpool fatigue concerns ahead of season run-in. Sports Egyptian Football | Talents Abroad Klopp plays down Liverpool fatigue concerns ahead of season run-in (Photo
Klopp plays down Liverpool fatigue concerns ahead of season
SINGAPORE - Our Tampines Hub will be screening the Uefa Champions League final for free on Sunday (June 2). Tampines residents and visitors to the Hub can catch the 3am game between Liverpool and
Our Tampines Hub to screen Champions League final - tnp.sg
Football: Ryan Giggs hits back after Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich beat Werder Bremen 3-2 with two goals from Robert Lewandowski on Wednesday to advance to the German Cup final for the second straight year and keep the domestic
Bayern reach German Cup final to keep double in sight
Harry Kane wants to end career as NFL kicker. England captain Harry Kane has his heart set on ending his playing career in the United States kicking field goals for a team in the National
England captain Harry Kane eyes future as American football
Guardiola stays cool despite shock Man City defeat 23 December 2018, MVT 20:44 Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola arrives for the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on December 22, 2018.
Football: Guardiola stays cool despite shock Man City defeat
0 comments:
Post a Comment