Cardiff City have decided to appeal against Fifa’s ruling that they must pay the first instalment of 6m euros (£5.3m) to Nantes for £15m striker Emiliano Sala. The Bluebirds will challenge the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The Argentine, who was 28, died in a plane crash in January while travelling from France to join his new club. Cardiff and Nantes have since been in dispute over fee payments. Cardiff have argued they were not liable for any of the full £15m fee because Sala was not officially their player when he died.
The club refused to make interim payments, claiming the deal was not legally binding. BBC Sport has also learned that the second instalment of the £15m fee agreed for Sala is due to be paid in January 2020.
Nantes argued that having signed with Cardiff, Sala’s contract with Nantes was over and that he had become a Cardiff player.
