Cardiff Fans in Emotional Tribute to Emiliano Sala

Yesterday the Cardiff City fans paid an extremely emotional tribute to Emiliano Sala as they played their first home game since the striker’s disappearance. Sala was onboard a light aircraft from Nantes to Cardiff on the 21st January when the plane went missing. However, both Sala and pilot David Ibbotson were presumed dead after the original search found no trace of the plane.

Missing Plane Carrying Sala Has Been Found

As I write this article, news has just broken that the wreckage from the Piper Malibu has now been located on the seabed of the English Channel after an underwater search by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) as well as a privately funded search. This is according to marine explorer David Mearns who is working alongside the AAIB. The reports say that the families of Sala and David have been notified.

Whilst this is sad news, at least the families of Sala and David can finally have some closure and get some more answers about what happened. The thoughts of everyone here at Sunday League Sports are still with the families and friends of Emiliano Sala and David Ibbotson at this very difficult time. And it was clear last night that Sala was still at the forefront of the minds of all those Cardiff fans and all those at Cardiff City.

The fans held up a mosaic during a minutes silence before the game. The mosaic was in the national colours of the Argentine striker. Then when Bobby Reid scored after 5 minutes, the players held up a t-shirt bearing Sala’s face as they celebrated the goal.

Sala Would Have Been Proud

The Bluebird’s manager Neil Warnock said he thinks Sala would have been proud of Cardiff yesterday, and that they did him proud too.

I was very emotional, I was all right until the final whistle went and I went on the pitch. I can’t begin to explain to you how difficult it has been.

Knowing Emiliano as I did, I know he would have been really with us today. Today, the whole club was amazing. I was the proudest man to be manager of the whole club, because the fans were just amazing.

I’ve never seen or heard anything like it and I will remember it for the rest of my life really. We’ve done him proud today. 

The players all knew what they had to do today, we spoke about Emiliano in the dressing room, I am just really proud and I am sure he would have been.

Cardiff City fans displayed a mosaic in Sala’s national colours during a minutes silence before the game.

The Cardiff City players held up a shirt bearing Sala’s face after Bobby Reid scored their first goal.

Tributes were left outside the Cardiff City stadium for striker Sala by both Cardiff and Bournemouth fans.

The Cardiff City fans also sang Sala’s name throughout the match as they had a new song to pay tribute to him, it went as below:

Sing a song for sala
We will never let you go,
You’ll always be,
At city with me

The touching tribute rang round the Cardiff City Stadium as their team were victorious over Bournemouth.

Warnock Visibly Upset

Warnock, was left visibly upset during both the minute’s silence and at the end of the game when the fans sang Sala’s name. They sang it consistently as the match ended, as Warnock was seen struggling to hold back his tears as he clapped and saluted the fans. He described the week as his hardest ever in football, following Sala’s disappearance. 

Emiliano Sala, forever in our hearts, forever a bluebird. You will never be forgotten.

Featured Image by Jon Candy. Displayed under Creative Commons.