Ken Choo has said Cardiff City are praying for positive news after being left shocked after Emiliano Sala’s plane went missing on route from Nantes to Cardiff.
The French Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed that the club’s £15million record signing was on board the Piper Malibu light aircraft which lost contact over the Channel Islands on Monday night.
Sala was due to train with his new team-mates for the first time at their Vale of Glamorgan headquarters this morning but training was cancelled following the shock news.
Choo, City’s executive director and CEO, said in a statement: “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.”
Sala was one of two people on board the light aircraft which went missing near Alderney as the 28-year-old was travelling back to Cardiff.
The Argentine striker joined the club on Saturday night in the record-breaking move, but had returned to France to say goodbye to his team-mates at Nantes.
An air and sea search was launched on Monday night and resumed again on Tuesday though authorities fear the chances of finding anyone alive now are reducing.
John Fitzgerald, chief officer of the Channel Islands Air Search, said: “I think with the sea temperatures and the sea conditions the chances of finding anybody alive are reducing all the time.
“The sea temperatures are very, very cold and just sap the core temperature of anybody in the water very, very quickly.”
The plane left Nantes at 19:15 and had been flying at 5,000ft when it contacted Jersey air traffic control requesting descent.
La ultima ❤️ ciao @FCNantes 👋🏻💛💚 pic.twitter.com/SV1dNHbYYH
— Emiliano Sala (@EmilianoSala1) January 21, 2019
But the plane lost contact while at 2,300ft and disappeared off radar near the Casquets lighthouse, eight miles (13km) north-west of Alderney.
Sala’s father, Horacio, told Argentine TV channel C5N, he had heard the news from a friend.
“I didn’t know anything. I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I’m desperate. I hope everything goes well.”