For two days in the area of ​​the island of Alderney, the search continues for Argentinian footballer Emiliano Saly. On the evening of January 20, the plane, on which the newcomer Cardiff City flew from France to Wales, disappeared from the radar, after which there was no information about its location.

As it became known on January 23, new details appeared in the case of the missing plane with the Cardiff football player Sala. As the RMC air officer in the Channel Islands, John Fitzgerald, told RMC, items that could be related to the aircraft were found.

“A pillow, a bright orange object, a box and a multitude of white elements floating near a curved piece of metal were found in the sea. We are sending the boat to the place, ”Fitzgerald said.

Later, the situation was commented on by the Guernsey police, who are also looking for the missing vessel. In the official Twitter account of the department, they told about their assumptions about the location of the plane with a football player.

“They landed somewhere, but they do not get in touch. They fell down, they were picked up by a passing ship, but they also could not make contact. They splashed down and took advantage of the life raft, which, as we know, was on board. The plane fell into the water. Priority in the search, we give the third option, "- said in a statement.

Considering how long no information has been received about Sal, such news does not guarantee a positive outcome of search operations. On the eve of the Fitzgerald expressed the opinion that the Cardiff player would hardly be able to be found alive. After another 24 hours, his forecast did not change.

“Sadly, I really don’t think there’s any hope left. At this time of the year, the islands have rather severe weather conditions. Even the most trained people would be able to stay in the water for only a few hours, ”Fitzgerald concluded.

Aircraft

As it became known, Sala flew from Nantes to Cardiff on a single-engine private vessel Piper PA-46 Malibu. But at the same time, the question remained exactly who provided the football player with the given aircraft. As the athlete's mother, Mercedes Sala, said, the plane belonged to Cardiff president Mehmet Dalman.

However, later in the club refuted these assumptions of the mother. As the functionary himself said, this aircraft has nothing to do with him or the club.

“We were not involved in the process of leasing an aircraft. In fact, we ourselves are trying to understand the situation. The club personally spoke with the player and offered him to arrange a flight, which, however, would have been made by a commercial flight, ”Dalman quotes WalesOnline.

As managed to find out the publication of The Times, a private plane belongs to the Scottish sports agent Willie Mackay. It is noteworthy that he does not represent the interests of the Cardiff striker, but he agreed to provide him with a vessel so that he could say goodbye to his former partners in Nant.

However, the agent himself later denied this information. He confirmed that he helped the football player with the organization of the flight, but noted that the player used another private plane.

In this case, the Piper PA-46 Malibu is far from the safest aircraft. Former pilot Alistair Rozenshain told the Daily Mail that in the entire history of the aircraft’s operation there were 55 fatal crashes, 24 of them in the last 19 years.

"To cross the bay in a single-engine plane is in itself risky, especially if it happens in the winter and at night," the expert said.

Message

As the French striker Bordeaux, Diego Roland, reported, some time before the incident, Sala contacted one of his friends through the WhatsApp messenger. In particular, a few minutes before his plane disappeared from the radar, he sent several voice messages to his friend.

“Before the flight, Emiliano sent a message saying that he was scared. He said that if they never see each other again, the friend will know what happened, ”RMC quotes Rolan.

Later, the Argentine portal Ole managed to get those voice messages that Sala sent to his friend. As it turns out, the most expensive Cardiff player was unhappy with the condition of the aircraft.

“Now I’m on a plane that seems about to collapse, and I'm flying to Cardiff. Tomorrow I will be training with a new team, ”the football player Ole quotes as a football player.

After some time, another message was received from the player. This time he was much more excited and had a premonition that the flight to Wales could turn into a tragedy.

"Brothers and sisters, how are you?" Good? If after one and a half hours you will not have news from me, then I do not know whether you need to send someone to search. Dad, I'm scared, ”said Sala.

Hopes

After a day and a half of unsuccessful searches, the chances for a favorable outcome are becoming less and less. Apparently, the father of football player Horacio Sala also had little hope of seeing his son alive again.

“The clock is going, but I do not know anything - it makes me think about the worst. I don’t know anything, no one spoke to me: there were no calls from the embassy or from clubs, ”said Sala, a senior ESPN, through tears.

Mentor of the former team of Sala Vahid Halikhodzic admitted that he was shocked by what had happened, and also added that every hour it is harder and harder to hope for a favorable outcome.

"What do you want me to say? Too much time has passed. So the situation is difficult. We are all waiting, but very little information. We expect the worst, ”- said the head coach of“ Nantes ”.

Apparently, the legendary Argentine footballer Diego Maradona remains one of the few who continue to believe in saving Sala. On the air of Radio Monte-Carlo, he expressed the hope that the Cardiff striker would soon be found.

“I hope the plane flew to the wrong airport, and we will find everyone on board alive. This is a terrible bad luck. When such situations occur, I think about all the flights in my life, ”Maradona concluded.