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.
