French Ligue 1
EMILIANO SALA: TWO SEAT CUSHIONS FROM MISSING PLANE FOUND
The renewed search for the missing plane that carried new Cardiff signing Emiliano Sala has yielded some results.
According to the CNN, seat cushions believed to be from the plane carrying missing footballer have been found. CNN quoted the Britain’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) as its source.
As a result, an underwater search, using side-scan sonar equipment, is expected to take place at the end of this week, covering four square nautical miles and taking up to three days.
The seat cushions were discovered by
French authorities on a beach near Surtainville on the Cotentin Peninsula in
the northwest coast of France.
In a statement released Wednesday, the AAIB said that after a preliminary examination it had concluded that it was “likely that the cushions are from the missing aircraft.”
The aircraft carrying Cardiff City’s record signing disappeared from radar last week near the Channel Islands.
“From the moment we were notified of the missing aircraft, we have been looking at the feasibility of conducting an underwater seabed search for aircraft wreckage,” the statement added.
“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.
“Through the Ministry of Defence’s Salvage and Marine Operations (SALMO) Project Team, we have commissioned a specialist survey vessel to carry out an underwater survey of the seabed to try to locate and identify possible aircraft wreckage.
“Due to the weather and sea conditions, we currently expect our underwater seabed search to start at the end of this weekend and to take up to three days.
“Side-scan sonar equipment will be used to try to locate the wreckage on the seabed. If the wreckage is found, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) will be used to visually examine the wreckage.”
Earlier in the week, the Englishman revealed that several City players had undergone counseling and offered his support to the private search, as did Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny in the matchday programme.
The AAIB said it was “liaising closely” with the private search mission — financed by donations from footballers, among others — to “maximize the chance of locating any wreckage and ensure a safe search operation.”
A crowd funding initiative to finance a private search was launched last weekend in response to the decision by UK authorities to abandon its recovery mission last Thursday.
Before the earlier search was called off, Guernsey Police had been working on four possibilities:
- They have landed elsewhere but not made contact
- They landed on water, have been picked up by a passing ship but not made contact
- They landed on water and made it into the life raft we know was on board
- The aircraft broke up on contact with the water, leaving them in the sea
Paul Pogba has joined AS Monaco on a free transfer after signing a two-year contract, the Ligue 1 club said on Saturday, as the 32-year-old French midfielder looks to revive his career following a doping ban.
Pogba was handed a four-year doping ban in February 2024 after testing positive for DHEA, which boosts testosterone levels. The suspension was cut to 18 months after a successful appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Italian club Juventus announced in November that they had mutually agreed to terminate his contract, which was due to expire in June 2026.
The 2018 World Cup winner had a disappointing second spell with Juventus due to injuries after returning to the Turin-based club following his departure from Manchester United on a free transfer in 2022.
Pogba was signed by United in 2016 for a then-world record fee of 89 million pounds ($122 million) but the four-times Serie A champion won only two trophies with the Premier League club — the League Cup and Europa League in his first season.
He last played for France in 2022 but knee surgery prevented him from appearing at the World Cup in Qatar.
Monaco finished third behind Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germain and Olympique de Marseille last season.
-Reuters
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After Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi signed a contract extension with French Ligue 1 side, Paris Saint-Germain, he became the World’s most-paid fullback.
The Moroccan international will earn a staggering €70 million in wages over his new five-year deal, cementing his status as football’s highest-paid defender.
He signed a contract extension with the French champions until 2029. The new deal adds three years to his previous contract, which was set to expire in 2026.
His net salary is increasing from €10 million to €14 million per season (€28 million gross).
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The 2024 Ballon d’Or nominee and Super Eagles winger, Ademola Lookman, is almost certain to leave the Serie A in the coming winter transfer window following interest from Premiership but the biggest interest is from Paris Saint Germaine.
The AFCON 2024 silver medal winner with Nigeria has been on the radar of the London side, West Ham United and three other sides from the league but all is more certain that the London club will find it difficult to compete for the signature of Atalanta star according to Football Insider.
Reports have suggested that the Irons are ready to swoop for the Nigeria international in the January transfer window.
However, sources say there will be “huge interest” from Europe in the 27-year-old ex-Everton star.
Paris Saint-Germain will be the frontrunner for the forward if he becomes available in the coming months.
Additionally, Lookman plays in the same area of the pitch as West Ham’s big-money summer signings Crysencio Summerville and Luis Guilherme.
The London-born has raised his stock with his displays for Atalanta since joining from RB Leipzig in 2022.
He finished 14th in the Ballon d’Or rankings this year after leading the Italian side to a Europa League title last term.
Lookman has already hit five goals and contributed five assists in 10 games across all competitions this term.
The forward, who is under contract until June 2026, hit 17 goals and notched 10 assists in 45 appearances last season.
West Ham are unlikely to have serious funds to spend in the January window after their lavish spending in the off-season.
Julen Lopetegui’s side started slowly and sat 13th in the Premier League after nine games.
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