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Emiliano Sala

Sala's family reach €300,000 crowdfunding target for private search

Guernsey Police called off their search for Emiliano Sala on Thursday, but a crowdfunding target for a new operation has been reached.

Sala's family reach €300,000 crowdfunding target for private search
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Emiliano Sala's family have reached their €300,000 crowdfunding target in their bid to resume the search for the missing Cardiff City striker. On Thursday, Guernsey Police ceased looking for Sala, who was on board a Piper Malibu aircraft with pilot David Ibbotson when the plane went missing en route to the Welsh capital from Nantes on Monday.

Sala completed a transfer to Cardiff the weekend before and had been back in France bidding farewell to his colleagues at Nantes. Search and rescue efforts had spanned three days without a trace of the plane before the authorities opted to call a halt to their scanning of the area.

A GoFundMe page was created by non-profit organisation Sport Cover on Friday, with "its sole purpose" being to help continue the search for Sala and Ibbotson.

Tributes left outside Cardiff City stadium for Emiliano Sala
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Tributes left outside Cardiff City stadium for Emiliano SalaREBECCA NADENREUTERS

Mbappé, Rabiot and Payet make donation to Emiliano Sala cause

The pot surpassed the €300,000 mark on Sunday, with a donation of €30,010 from Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappé helping it over the line. As of today, 321,434 euros have been donated.

Mbappé is not the only high-profile player to donate a substantial sum, as his PSG team-mate Adrien Rabiot contributed €25,000 on Saturday, while Marseille star Dimitri Payet pledged €10,000 later the same day.