Nice, choirs about Sala’s death. Coach Galtier blurts out: “A shame”

The chants of shame started in the 9th minute of the first half, during yesterday’s Nice-Saint Etienne match. Everyone was singing against Emiliano Sala, the 28-year-old forward who died in a plane crash over the English Channel in January 2019. The protagonists were certain Nice fans who wanted to insult Nantes, the last team from Sala, from a distance, who on Saturday however he won the French Cup, beating the French Riviera club. Immediate and unanimous condemnation by both the two clubs and their respective coaches. But the best answer came from the field, in Nantes, with the winning goal over Rennes, signed by Nicolas Pallois.

Dream

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The central defender was in fact Sala’s best friend. It was he who took him to the airport for that trip to Cardiff and the Premier League. A dream that came true for the Argentine striker who had been sold by Nantes for 17 million euros. However, Sala got on board a vehicle not approved for night flights, with a pilot who had neither the license to carry passengers for a fee, nor the experience for flights in difficult weather conditions. Just like that January evening three years ago, when shortly after take-off, the Piper stopped giving signals to the control tower and sank into the sea. The reports showed that Sala died instantly. The body of pilot David Ibbotson has never been found. The trial in Wales resulted in an 18-month sentence for David Henderson, the pilot initially in charge of the trip, who preferred to delegate Ibbotson.

Replication

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A drama that the Nice fans have offended with disrespectful songs, echoing those of the Nantes fans in his honor: “Emiliano Sala, an Argentine who can’t swim, ends up underwater …”. All at minute 9, the number of the striker at the time of Nantes who on Saturday won the French Cup at Nice’s expense. The Côte d’Azur club, however, did not wait for the end of the match won yesterday against Saint Etienne to dissociate itself with a statement and condemn the choirs. Coach Christophe Galtier is even more vehement: “A shame that those fans don’t come to the stadium anymore.” Nantes and coach Antoine Kombouaré did the same. But perhaps the best answer came from the pitch, in a perfect coincidence. To give the victory to Nantes in the “derby” with Rennes (2-1), it was Pallois, Sala’s friend. And that of Pallois was a spectacular goal, in turn, of power. As a true striker. Worthy of Emiliano Sala.