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Dorset Police has confirmed that the body recovered from the wreckage of a plane that crashed in the English Channel is that of professional footballer, Emiliano Sala.
- The Dorset coroner identified the body as that of Emiliano Sala
- The body of pilot David Ibbotson has not been found
- Sala was Cardiff City's record signing but never played a game for the club
Sala, 28, was travelling to Cardiff from Nantes in western France to link up with English Premier League side Cardiff City, when the plane he was travelling in crashed into the sea off the coast of Guernsey.
The body of the plane's pilot, 59-year-old British man David Ibbotson, is yet to be discovered.
"The body brought to Portland Port today has been formally identified by HM Coroner for Dorset as that of professional footballer Emiliano Sala," a statement from Dorset Police said.
"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."
Police said investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing.
The wreckage was discovered just hours into a privately funded underwater search, with a single body visible inside.
Initial attempts to recover the wreckage were unsuccessful due to bad weather, but authorities were able to recover the body just two days later, despite the challenging conditions persisting.
Sala had signed for Welsh club Cardiff in the January transfer window for what was a record fee of 15 million pounds ($19.6 million) from French side Nantes, but never played a game for the club.
Cardiff confirmed the news in a statement, adding: "We offer our most heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the family of Emiliano. He and David will forever remain in our thoughts."
The Argentine player has been honoured with tributes at matches in both the Premier League and Ligue 1 in France.
Topics: sport, soccer, english-premier, france-soccer, united-kingdom, england, wales, france
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