FATAL FREEBIE
Emiliano Sala’s agent told the Cardiff signing his flight wouldn’t cost a penny ‘as long as he scored goals’
The colourful agent's other clients include former Rangers ace Ross McCormack, James McFadden and Scott McDonald
SCOTS footie agent Willie McKay joked that tragic player Emiliano Sala’s doomed flight wouldn’t cost him a penny “as long as he scored goals”.
The colourful agent, 59, arranged the flight the missing ace took from Nantes to Cardiff after he signed for the Welsh club before it plunged into the sea.
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Colourful Monaco-based McKay, whose clients include former Rangers ace Ross McCormack, 32, James McFadden, 35, and ex-Celtic star Scott McDonald, 35, claims, however, he had no role in choosing the pilot or plane.
Now, a new text exchange between McKay’s Cardiff City player son Jack and Sala lay bare the final moments before the 28-year-old Argentine disappeared.
Jack, 22, has revealed text messages with Sala as they tried to arrange his flights to Nantes and back to Cardiff.
The first message from Jack says: “My dad has told me that you are going home tomorrow.
“He could organise a plane to take you direct to Nantes and to come back on Monday, at a time that suits you, so you can get to training on Tuesday.”
Sala replied: “Ah that is great. I was just in the middle of checking if there are some flights to get to Nantes tomorrow. How much will it cost?”
Emiliano Sala search pilot says 'absolutely no chance of finding anybody alive'
McKay said: “Nothing. He said if you help me to score goals it’s nothing.”
And his new team mate quipped: “Hahaha with pleasure.”
McKay’s other son Mark was the agent acting for Nantes in the £15m transfer that made Sala Cardiff’s record signing earlier in January.
The footie mogul said both his sons spoke with Sala about problems with flying to the French city by commercial airline.
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He said: “With regards to the booking of the flight we contacted Mr David Henderson, who has flown us and many of our players all over Europe on countless occasions.
McKay added: “We had no involvement in selecting a plane or a pilot and we also wish to make clear again we do not own the plane that Emiliano flew on.”
We told this week how the British pilot of the stricken plane admitted he was “a bit rusty” at the controls before it vanished.
Dave Ibbotson, 60, told pals his fears after arriving in France on Saturday and even joked about the state of his landing.
On Monday night, the single engine Piper PA-46 plane carrying him and Argentinian Sala vanished over Guernsey.
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Both men are missing, with rescue chiefs saying there is no hope of finding them alive.
Argentina’s president Mauricio Macri, 59, has told his foreign minister to issue formal requests to Britain and France for search efforts to be resumed.
A GoFundMe page to raise funds for the resumption of the search has passed £222,000, with the Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, 28, amongst the donors.
Rescuers end search for missing plane carrying footballer, Emiliano Sala
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