Nantes: Nantes' first game since the disappearance of Argentine striker Emiliano Sala was halted after nine minutes on Wednesday so that fans could applaud the missing player and chant his name.
Fans broke out into long and sustained chants of "Emiliano Sala, Emiliano Sala, Emiliano, Emiliano, Emiliano Sala" around the stadium during the French Ligue 1 game against Saint-Etienne during an extended break of play.
There were emotional tributes to Emiliano Sala in Nantes’ first match since his disappearance.Credit:AP
The former Nantes striker, who wore the No. 9 shirt, has been missing since a plane transporting him to the Welsh city of Cardiff disappeared on January 21.
Sala had just been signed by Premier League club Cardiff for a club-record fee.
Emotions ran high before the game, with players warming up wearing t-shirts with "On T'aime Emi" (We Love You Emi) written on the back and the player's photo on the front.
A giant picture of Sala was projected onto the centre circle and a huge Argentine flag was unfurled in the crowd.
A silhouette of Emiliano Sala is shown in the crowd.Credit:AP
The whole Nantes squad formed a circle moments before the match started as coach Vahid Halilhodzic spoke to the players.
Nantes players wore Sala's name on the back of their shirts when the game kicked off at Stade de la Beaujoire.
Saint-Etienne also paid their tributes.
Throughout the first half, Nantes fans chanted non-stop for Sala, to the refrain "Emiliano, Emiliano."
Fans sang and showed their support during the Nantes match.Credit:AP
Several former Nantes players were in the stands, including Caen striker Yacine Bammou, who was shown in tears.
A few fans from Cardiff City were at the stadium unveiling a banner that read: 'We never saw you play and never saw you score, but Emiliano our beautiful Bluebird we will love you forever more'.
Sala scored 48 goals in 133 appearances for Nantes.
The tribute came as investigators searching for the lost plane said an underwater search would begin after they found two seat cushions on the French coast that likely belonged to the aircraft.
Nantes players wore T-shirts with Emiliano Sala on them before the match.Credit:AP
Britain's Air Accidents Investigation Branch said it was informed on Monday that part of a seat cushion had been found on a beach near Surtainville on the Cotentin Peninsula in northern France.
A second cushion was found in the same area later that day.
"From a preliminary examination, we have concluded that it is likely that the cushions are from the missing aircraft," the AAIB said in a statement.
Investigators said they now planned to launch an underwater seabed search for aircraft wreckage.
Nantes coach Vahid Halilhodzic (second right) and his players pay tribute to Emiliano Sala before the game.Credit:AP
Due to weather conditions, the search would start at the end of this weekend and take up to three days.
"Based on a detailed assessment of the flight path and last known radar position, we have now identified a priority search area of approximately four square nautical miles," they said.
A remotely operated vehicle will be used to examine visually any wreckage found.
A privately funded operation is also set to search for wreckage on Sunday and the AAIB said it was liaising closely with those involved.
Rescuers scoured about 4400 square kilometres after the single-engined Piper Malibu plane went missing but had failed to find a trace of the aircraft until now.
The plane had been cruising at 1525 metres when the pilot requested to descend to a lower altitude on passing Guernsey. It then lost radar contact at 700 metres.
On Tuesday, Cardiff played their first game since Sala's disappearance, a 2-1 Premier League defeat at Arsenal, where tributes were paid to the missing player and pilot.
AP, Reuters
Source: Read Full Article