Football agent Willie McKay says Cardiff City is trying to ‘throw him under a bus’ over Emiliano Sala crash
FOOTBALL agent Willie McKay claims Cardiff City are trying to ";throw him under a bus" over the Emiliano Sala plane crash.
The agent, who brokered the striker's £15million move to the Premier League club, has slammed their actions - claiming they are shifting blame on to an "easy target".
Cardiff have frozen the deal and are prepared to personally sue McKay over his bid to "create an interest" in the 28-year-old, who was killed in a plane crash on January 21.
They believe there could be a potential price inflation and are also ready to launch a negligence claim against Nantes it emerges the pilot didn't have the correct licence, reports.
McKay, who arranged the flight, told the newspaper: "Cardiff City have shown no class at all."
He also insisted his “conscience was clear” and revealed he was “livid” over his treatment by the club.
'TELL THE TRUTH'
McKay claimed he has spoken to the Air Accidents Investigations Branch about the horror crash and produced a timeline of every private jet trip made as part of the transfer.
It reportedly shows he and agent son Mark organised and paid for two previous flights from Cardiff to Nantes for boss Neil Warnock to watch the striker in action.
Another two were also arranged for Sala to discuss terms and undergo a medical - but none of these are believed to have been on the doomed Piper Malibu plane.
McKay said: “The only flight everybody is talking about is the one that crashed, right? Cardiff knew everything [about every flight]. When are they going to come out and tell the truth?”
'THROWING ME UNDER A BUS'
He continued: "I met Emiliano the same amount of times as they [Cardiff officials] met him. I organised his flight. I tried to help him.
“They booked him one room at the St David’s Hotel [in Cardiff]. That’s all they’ve done for him. And they’re trying to throw me under the bus.”
McKay has repeatedly denied owning the plane and says he had no input in selecting pilot David Ibbotson, whose body still hasn't been found.
The Scot has come under fire after an email he sent to Sala - where he admitted leaking “misleading” stories about interest from teams including Everton and West Ham - emerged.
Cardiff's lawyers are now seeking clarification over whether their alleged interest in the Argentine was genuine.
HOW THE TRAGEDY UNFOLDED
The plane was carrying record signing Sala to the Welsh capital from former club Nantes, in Western France, when it vanished on January 21.
The wreckage was discovered by the AAIB on February 3 and robots subs were used to pull the body out of the 220ft-deep water "in as dignified a way as possible".
An inquest opened and adjourned into Sala's death confirmed he died from head and trunk injuries and had to be identified by his fingerprints.
He was pulled from the wreckage after investigators discovered his body on the seabed of the English Channel on February 4.
MOST READ IN NEWS
A full report by the Air Accident Investigation Branch will not be published for six to 12 months, but an interim report is due within a fortnight.
Thousands of tearful mourners including Cardiff manager Neil Warnock, arrived to pay tribute to the late footballer in his hometown of Progreso, Argentina, over the weekend.
British pilot David Ibbotson's body has not yet been discovered, but a GoFundMe page has been launched to fund a private search.
