Emiliano Sala´s father dies in Argentina

The father of Emiliano Sala has died just three months after the footballer was killed in a plane crash. 

Horacio Sala, who was 58, passed away at his home in Progreso, Argentina following a heart attack. 

Julio Muller, the mayor of the town in the Santa Fe province where Emiliano Sala was born, confirmed the news to radio station La Red. 

“This year doesn’t stop surprising us with bad news in this town,” he said. 

“At five o’clock, Horacio’s partner called me because she was very upset. We live four blocks from their house. When I arrived, the doctors were already there, but he had already passed away.” 

Muller said Horacio Sala had struggled to come to terms with the death of his son, whose body was recovered in the English Channel after the plane carrying him from Nantes to Cardiff crashed. Pilot David Ibbotson has not been found. 

“I cannot believe it. This is a dream. A bad dream. I am desperate,” Horacio told Cronica TV shortly after the crash, which happened when his son was travelling to the UK to link up with Cardiff City after agreeing to a £15million transfer from Nantes in January. 

Daniel Ribero, the president of Emiliano Sala’s old club San Martin de Progreso, said Horacio had recently shown signs of recovery from his grief. 

“I was with him during the week,” said Ribero, as quoted by Ole. “I passed him in the street and we spent half an hour talking about the soybean harvest, the truck… 

“I noticed he was better, he was keen to talk.”