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04 July 2019 / Michael L Nash
Issue: 7847 / Categories: Features , Commercial
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A footballer’s death: contracts & consequences

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The death of Emiliano Sala mid-transfer left a tangled web of contractual issues, writes Michael L Nash
  • Reviews the death of Argentinian footballer, signed by Cardiff FC, formerly of FC Nantes, from a legal standpoint.
  • Covers issues of frustration of contract, negligence, role of a football agent, duty of care and role of FIFA.

Every so often the world is riveted, temporarily fixated, on one story. The case of Emiliano Sala, the 28-year-old Argentinian footballer, so recently signed by Cardiff, was one of these stories. From the moment the news broke that he was missing to the moment his body was found, the world paused in its mad helter skelter.

When the last days of Emiliano Sala are analysed, they reveal many different levels of law, regulation and roles. If the contract between Cardiff FC and FC Nantes (the club where he had been playing) is examined, then the issue of frustration emerges, and the terms and conditions of that contract, which may or may not have been fulfilled

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