Cardiff City have been hit with a transfer embargo which has been a heavy blow, meaning they are now unable to sign players in the January window.

However, the club say they are in talks with various parties to resolve the issue and are “confident” the matter can be resolved.

The transfer ban comes after the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected Cardiff’s appeal in August to pay Nantes FC the first installment of Emiliano Sala’s transfer fee, equivalent to £5.1m plus interest, after it was discovered that the transfer of the player with “ Nantes” was terminated. completed before his tragic death in January 2019.

Cardiff continues to contest the arrears and has appealed the CAS hearing to the Swiss Federal Court. The decision of that superior court is expected for the end of January or beginning of February.

READ MORE: Plane carrying Emiliano Sala was “complicated”, says pilot before fatal flight

Meanwhile, the Bluebirds are under a transfer embargo that has spanned the last three windows. Cardiff management have met manager Mark Hudson to discuss the matter and he is fully aware of the situation.

The club say they are in talks with various parties, including FIFA and the Football League, as they try to find a way to resolve the issue.

Cardiff chairman Mehmet Dalman said: “This is a technical embargo, there are a lot of legal discussions going on and they will continue.

“We are sure we can agree to that. It doesn’t matter until January 1st when the transfer window opens and we are working hard to find an amicable solution by then. We are working hard to resolve it in the best way.” club interest.

Asked if he was worried about not being able to buy new players in January, Dahlman said: “We would like to bring in some additions, but my discussions with Mark Hudson are about continuing with business as usual plans. We hope this is a temporary embargo and not a permanent one. But the coach believes that the team still has enough quality to compete at this level.”

When CAS announced their decision, Cardiff immediately issued a statement saying they would appeal the decision again. At the time, the club said that, if the appeal was rejected, “it would file a lawsuit against those responsible for the accident for damages. This will include FC Nantes and their agents.”

Cardiff last week announced their intention to sue insurer Miller Insurances LLP for £10m, claiming they failed to properly communicate the new players insurance process straight away. They said that Miller Insurance had not acted with reasonable skill and care and that the broker had a duty to inform the club that he would not be covered in the event of the new player’s death until their policy was amended to cover the new player. signing.

The club say they would have demanded £20m for Sala before he even boarded the plane had they known the risks involved in such tragic events should they occur.

We understand that the potential threat of an embargo also helped shape the club’s summer transfer policy. Cardiff decided to sign so many permanent players partly because the style of play needed to be overhauled and also because they felt they could be brought back at some point in the future.

That’s part of the reason why they signed so many players to longer-term contracts than usual amid an uncertain financial situation. In fact, Callum Robinson, Callum O’Dowd, Andy Rinomhota, Mahlon Romeo, Kion Etete, Vonta Campbell and Ebu Adams have signed three-year contracts until 2025.

Source: Wales Online