Raissa's Blog - Best of Sports, Culture, and Entertainment

The family of David Ibbotson, the pilot who steered the doomed aircraft that crashed over the English Channel resulting in the death of Cardiff player Emiliano Sala , have set up a fundraising page for donations to help restart a search for the pilot. Experts recently reported that Ibbotson may have still had some control over the plane when it crashed down. Ibbotson's body was not found in the wreckage and experts believe there are very slim chances of him ever being found. The GoFundMe page has so far raised more than £20,000. A message on the site reads: 'Please help bring David Ibbotson home and help give him the send off he deserves. 'As a family we are relying on the kindness of the good hearted people to help us raise the much needed funds to help us find our beloved Dad, Husband and Son. 'As a family we are trying to come to terms with the tragedy and the loss of two incredible men. 'To be told the search has now been called off for the fore...

Emiliano Sala's family began grieving the passing of the Cardiff City footballer on Friday after British Authorities (AAIB) formally identified the body recovered from the plane wreckage as Sala's. In a statement, the family said,  “We can now begin to mourn our son and our brother."  “We would like to thank you for all of your signs of affection and support in the most painful time of our life. “To see everyone doing everything possible to join us in the search has been a precious help to us,” the family said.  Sala's former club Nantes, announced its decision to withdraw the jersey with Sala's number 9.  In a statement, Nantes president Waldemar Kita said: "I do not have the words, it's a tragedy, I'm devastated, Emiliano left his mark, which is why, like many fans, I want to honour him again by removing the number 9 ".  The French league, Ligue 1, will also honor Sala with a minute of applause before every game.  Cardiff led tri...

Dorset Police revealed on Thursday night that the body recovered from the wreckage of the crashed plane that was transporting Emiliano Sala to Cardiff City is indeed Sala's. The body was recovered on Wednesday after the wreckage was spotted on Sunday.  In a statement, Dorset Police said,  "the body brought to Portland Port today ... has been formally identified by HM Coroner for Dorset as that of professional footballer Emiliano Sala." It continued, "the families of Mr. Sala and the pilot, David Ibbotson, have been updated with this news and will continue to be supported by specially-trained family liaison officers. Our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time."  Police reckoned they will continue to investigate the "circumstances of this death." Cardiff City Football Club said in a statement: "We offer our most heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the families of Emiliano. He ad David will forever remain in our thoughts. T...

A body has been recuperated by AAIB, the from the wreckage of the small aircraft that crashed into the English Channel, with Emiliano Sala and David Ibbotson aboard as passenger and pilot respectively. The identity of the body is yet to be disclosed as it could be that of 28-year-old Sala or 59-year-old Ibbotson. Sala's former team, Nantes, is pressing Cardiff City, to whom it sold Sala, for the payment of the first installment of Sala's $19.4 million transfer fee. Nantes has threatened legal action against Cardiff in a letter to the club on Tuesday, stating that they would take legal action if the first payment of the fee is not made within 10 days. Cardiff City however prefers to wait until investigations into Sala's accident is completed by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch before making any payments.  The AAIB said (via the AP) that the body was recovered in “challenging conditions,” and that the “operation was carried out in as dignified a way as poss...