The Italian coach said that he is hoping “for some positive news”
Fulham manager Claudio Ranieri has hailed Cardiff City’s missing striker Emiliano Sala, describing the Argentine forward as a “wonderful character”.
Sala, who was declared missing after the private aircraft he was a passenger in went missing over the Channel Islands on its way from Nantes in France to Cardiff on Monday evening, played under the Italian coach at Nantes last season.
“I was devastated to hear the news. Emiliano is a wonderful character. He’s a fighter. The world of football will be united in wishing for some positive news. I pray for Emiliano and his family,” said Ranieri in a statement released by Fulham.
The 28-year-old was confirmed as Cardiff’s record signing over the weekend, and he had recently posted an Instagram post bidding farewell to his Nantes teammates.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs5WXEelADv/?utm_source=ig_embed
Cardiff City FC Executive Director & CEO Ken Choo said of the matter: “We were very shocked upon hearing the news that the plane had gone missing. We expected Emiliano to arrive last night into Cardiff and today was due to be his first day with the team.
“Our owner, Tan Sri Vincent Tan, and chairman, Mehmet Dalman, are all very distressed about the situation.
“We made the decision first thing this morning to call off training with the thoughts of the squad, management staff and the entire Club with Emiliano and the pilot.
“All of us at Cardiff City FC would like to thank our fans, and the entire footballing family for their support at this difficult time.
“We continue to pray for positive news.”
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Choo added: “We called off training today because everybody is not in the right frame of mind. Everybody is shocked at this point in time, including myself.
“The second thing is I met him on Friday and he is such a nice person. He’s so, so happy to be here and so happy to start.
“Words can’t describe the look on his face when he met us and we walked him around the ground.
“We knew him then and we really feel sad to hear of this news because he’s such a great person.
“I think you could see the happiness in his face, one of the best days of his life as he expressed. So we are very sad, we want to thank people who have supported us today, with lots of messages and emails.”
In an update on Tuesday evening, Guernsey Police confirmed that no sighting had been made of the small aircraft, and that the search would resume early in the morning.
17.00 update
Search and rescue operations have been suspended as the sun has now set.
The current plan is for it to resume at sunrise tomorrow.
There will be no further updates tonight.
— Guernsey Police (@GuernseyPolice) January 22, 2019
