A series of leaked WhatsApp messages have shown that Emiliano Sala was not ‘abandoned’ by Cardiff, as claimed by agent Willie McKay.
McKay has claimed the Premier League club let Sala make his own travel arrangements after his £15million transfer from Nantes. He arranged the flight that crashed in the Channel last month, killing the 28-year-old.
However these messages, procured by French outlet Ouest-France, appear to show a Cardiff Player Liaison Officer offering a commercial flight to the striker.
A screenshot of a commercial line passing through Paris was sent to Sala. Sent in a mixture of French and Spanish, the messages show the player declining the offer as he already had a flight sorted after McKay called him.
McKay told the BBC on Thursday night: ‘He was abandoned in a hotel more or less to do his travel arrangements himself. Nobody in Cardiff seemed to be doing anything. It was a bit embarrassing for Cardiff.
‘They buy a player for £15m and then leave him in a hotel by himself to go on the computer and look for a flight – I think Cardiff let themselves down badly. The way they’ve acted so far, they’ve been a disgrace.’