'About To Crash': Missing Footballer Sala's Reported Voice Message

The football world is in shock after a plane carrying football star Emiliano Sala
disappeared en route from France to Wales on Tuesday.

Sala was flying from the French city of Nantes to Cardiff, when the plane lost radar contact off the English Channel island of Guernsey.

Rescue aircraft and boats have searched more than 3000 square km of sea for the single-engine Piper Malibu, but “no trace of the missing aircraft had been found,” Guernsey police said.

The 28-year-old Argentine-born forward joined struggling Cardiff last week for a club record fee of £15million

Argentine newspaper Clarin has now published a voice message that Sala apparently sent to friends.

“We’re up in the plane and it seems it’s about to crash,” said the message, which Clarin also said was verified by Sala’s father, Horacio Sala.

“If you have not heard anything from me in an hour and a half, I don’t know if they’re going to send someone to find me, because, you know, they’re not going to be able to,” the message is reported to have said. “Dad. I’m really scared.”

Emiliano Sala previously posted this pic. Image: Instagram
Sala had played in France since 2012.

“We expected Emiliano to arrive last night into Cardiff and today was due to be his first day with the team,” club Chief Executive Ken Choo said in a statement.

“We continue to pray for positive news.”

Fulham manager Claudio Ranieri, who coached Sala at Nantes, added in a statement on Twitter: "I was devastated to hear the news. Emiliano is a wonderful character.

“The management and the whole club are staying hopeful and the whole FC Nantes family is praying for Emiliano Sala and the other passengers to be found safe and sound,” Nantes said in a statement.

British authorities contacted airfields along the coast to check if the plane had made an unplanned landing, but there was no sign it had, Guernsey police said.