After the discovery of the body of the Argentine football professional Emiliano Sala his former club wants to renounce in future the back number of the Argentinian. "It's a tragedy, I'm devastated," said FC Nantes President Waldemar Kita in a statement. "Emiliano has left his mark, so I want to honor him again, like many fans, by taking number 9 back."
A good two weeks after the crash of his propeller plane over the English Channel, the body of football professional Emiliano Sala had been identified on Thursday. Sala had wanted to fly from France to his new club Cardiff City on 21 January to Wales. Over the English Channel, the propeller plane of the footballer who had previously been active for FC Nantes and his pilot suddenly disappeared from the radar screens.
A day-long search with helicopters and ships was initially inconclusive, it was then discontinued. Last Wednesday, two cushions washed up on the French coast, which probably belonged to the missing plane.
"We are now able to mourn our son and brother"
The search for the two inmates was then continued with a special ship under water. After nearly two weeks of searching at the bottom of the sea, the body of the 28-year-old was finally discovered.
FC Nantes congratulated Sala's family and friends. "Emiliano will forever be part of the legends that wrote the great history of FC Nantes," the statement said. It was a difficult morning, a "nightmarish awakening", unfortunately, the club was overtaken by reality: "Emi 'is gone."
"We are now able to mourn our son and brother," said the football professional's family, according to French news agency AFP. It was an "invaluable help" to see how many people worldwide supported the search.