Cardiff City fans have took to contact police after Millwall supporters are alleged to mocking the death of player Emiliano Sala.
Argentine striker Sala died in a plane crash over the English channel in January 2019 while travelling from France to join his new club.
But ever since the tragic incident, we’ve seen a number of fans taunting how the player died.
This came about again at the weekend, Anderson Cheng writing: “Surely these lot get a ban for mocking Sala. Disgusting behaviour @MillwallFC @CardiffCityFC @MPSFootballUnit @metpoliceuk @CardiffCitySLO @TheMillwallFans @TheCantonEnd”
Other fans however say that some of those seen in the video also make reference to the Cardiff supporter who fell out of the top tier in a previous meeting a few years ago.
Surely these lot get a ban for mocking Sala. Disgusting behaviour @MillwallFC @CardiffCityFC @MPSFootballUnit @metpoliceuk@CardiffCitySLO@TheMillwallFans @TheCantonEnd #millwall #cardiff pic.twitter.com/RijZSJ96XJ
— Anderson Cheng (@anderson_cheng) September 3, 2022
Reading fan Stuart Webb, 37, from Torquay, ejected from Cardiff City Stadium during a match between the two clubs in January 2020, with the male admitting the offence and received a football banning order from North and East Devon Magistrates’ Court.
In 2019, three football fans who made aeroplane taunts after the death of Emiliano Sala, were fined. The trio made the “abusive gestures” shortly after a minute’s silence in memory of the player at Southampton’s match against Cardiff.
One of the men was also given a four-year football banning order.
About 25 minutes into the game, prosecutors said, there was a “change in the atmosphere” when Cardiff fans saw home supporters making gestures.
Fans of both teams contacted police, and the three men were eventually charged.
One 47-year-old James Downey, admitted making a “forward diving motion” mimicking a plane.
Jake Carman, 49, told police he was “just being stupid”, while Mark Ferrett, 53, said he had “let myself down and the club down”.
Each man admitted using threatening, abusive words or behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
Downey, of Southlands Way, Shoreham-by-sea, was fined £520
Carman, of Deacon Road, Southampton, was fined £635
Ferrett of Romsey Road, Lockerley, was fined £427
Carman and Ferrett are contesting football banning orders, which would prevent them attending further matches.
Hampshire Constabulary’s football officer Andrew Darbyshire said the minute’s silence before the game was “impeccably observed” but the three men were a “small minority whose behaviour goes over the line”.
A @SouthamptonFC fan was spotted mocking Emiliano Sala’s death.
Keep an eye on the guy behind the one wearing the red shirt, right in the middle.pic.twitter.com/BSMyn0YxOP
— Nitwik Football ⚽ (@NitwikFootball) February 9, 2019
Two weeks ago, the Bluebirds lost their appeal against a ruling by Fifa to pay the first instalment of Emiliano Sala’s £15m transfer fee to Nantes.
A three-man panel at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) heard the appeal in Lausanne earlier this year, and now Cardiff must pay the first instalment of £5.3m to Nantes.
In response to the Cas ruling, the club said: “Cardiff City is disappointed by the decision of the Court of Arbitration in Sport.
“The award fails to decide the crucial question of FC Nantes’ (and its agents’) liability for the crash, which will therefore have to be decided in another forum.
“Once the club’s lawyers have digested the reasons for the decision we expect to appeal and will not be making any payments to FC Nantes in the meanwhile.
“If those appeals are unsuccessful and the club is liable to pay the transfer fee, the club will take legal action against those responsible for the crash for damages to recover its losses. This will include FC Nantes, and its agents.
“All our thoughts must continue to be with Emiliano’s family, who are now supported financially by the trust the club put in place for them.”
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In a statement following its decision to dismiss Cardiff’s appeal, Cas said: “After taking into due consideration all the evidence produced and all the arguments put forward by both clubs, the Cas panel found the player’s transfer from FC Nantes to Cardiff City FC to have been completed.
“And because the conditions set out in the transfer agreement were fulfilled prior to the player’s death, FC Nantes’ claim for the first instalment of the transfer fee in the amount of 6m euros was upheld.”
Nantes then released a statement, saying: “FC Nantes welcomes the decision rendered today on appeal by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“The Cas has completely rejected the appeal lodged by Cardiff City and has confirmed the decision rendered by Fifa on 25 September 2019 concerning the transfer of player Emiliano Sala.
“The court therefore ruled, as FC Nantes [FCN] had argued since the start of the proceedings, that the player’s transfer to Cardiff City was over when he died tragically in an aviation accident.
“Consequently, the Cas ordered Cardiff City to pay the transfer fee to FC Nantes and sentenced Cardiff to a historically high sum, in respect of procedural costs and arbitration costs.
“FC Nantes is delighted that this procedure – initiated by Cardiff City then delayed on numerous occasions by Cardiff City – which has been difficult for all those close to Emiliano, is finally over.
“The club hopes that this will mark the end of the public misinformation campaign, which the FCN has never reacted to, out of respect for the player’s family.”
Cardiff claimed they were not liable for any of the fee because Sala, 28, was not officially their player when he died and refused to make interim payments as they claimed the deal was not legally binding.
World football’s governing body Fifa ruled Cardiff should pay the first instalment of £5.3m to Nantes.
Fifa’s players’ status committee also imposed a three-window transfer ban on the Championship club if they failed to pay.
After Fifa found against them, Cardiff appealed to Cas. After a number of delays, the hearing was held in March.
Social media users gave their reaction as Cardiff fans contact police after footage emerges of Millwall supporters mocking the death of player Emiliano Sala…
@BristolOli: Pathetic behaviour
@LiamMur29522063: Wonder why everyone hates MILLWALL absolute scumbags😡😡
@embe14: Absolute scum. Embarrassing
@foreverayellow: looks like they’re doing both mocking the death of sala and taking the piss out of the fan from years back who fell from top tier
@LBrooky97: Stupid pricks
@SuttyCCFC: Wankers
@lynne76159829: @MillwallFC absolutely disgraceful. And I feel sad for you as a club that these peasants have embarrassed you
Here is a better phone of them pricks pic.twitter.com/oMvnXJVTdN
— Anderson Cheng (@anderson_cheng) September 3, 2022
Shouldn’t we be focusing on telling people to stop mocking deaths at football? Slightly larger issue.
— Alex Davies (@99AlexDavies) September 3, 2022
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