Noah DeSantis ’19, Managing Editor
On Jan. 21, a plane carrying soccer player Emiliano Sala crashed into the English channel not even hours after taking off from Nantes, France. According to sources, the most likely reason for the crash was due to the frigid storms. After a month of despair and lost hope, a body was finally discovered by police and later identified as that of Emiliano Sala.
At first, police were ready to give up on locating the plane. However, after a lot of push back from fans and soccer players alike, police resumed their search. Many people donated money to support the cause, which was vital to the cause. Nineteen-year-old soccer player Kylian Mbappe donated a total of $60,000 towards helping the search. Mbappe said, “There is always hope to find the plane, the best thing we can do is not give up.”
The leader of the privately funded mission to search for Sala, David Mearns, had made it his own personal goal to find the wreckage. Mearns feels as though the family of the player deserves closure and a proper funeral. Mearns said, “Although there are very few answers as to what happened to the plane, it is relieving to know that our searching has led to some success.”
Soccer clubs around the world have paid their tribute to Sala in special ways. The Premier League has allowed players wear a black band around their arm to remember the player. Cardiff City has done even more. Fans have put hundreds of bouquets of flowers around the stadium and have been wearing yellow flower pins to all Cardiff games since the accident.
This accident has been a huge tragedy for the soccer world, and clubs around the globe have paid their respects. Condolences are with the friends and family of Emiliano Sala.
Photo courtesy of Sky News
Lyon Life 