MARADONA, MESSI AND CO RAISED FUND TO RESUME SEARCH FOR EMILIANO SALA

Search for Emiliano Sala resumes after crowdfunding effort
A new search for missing Cardiff striker Emiliano Sala has been launched after more than £250,000 was raised to fund the operation.
An official search and rescue operation for the Piper PA-46 Malibu carrying the Argentinian striker and pilot David Ibbotson was called off on Thursday.
Pleas for the search to resume were made by the 28-year-old player’s family, Argentinian football stars Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona and Sergio Agüero, and the Argentinian president, Mauricio Macri.

Donations from footballers including Manchester City’s İlkay Gündoğan have helped a GoFundMe page raising money for the search to reach a revised target of €300,000 (£259,000).
A statement on the GoFundMe page said: “The call for funds launched late Friday afternoon allowed the relatives of Emiliano Sala, via a specialised organisation, to resume research in the Channel early Saturday morning. Two boats conduct the operations.”

After signing for Cardiff for £15m, Sala returned to Nantes to collect his belongings and say goodbye to team-mates and staff of the Ligue 1 club before heading back to the UK. However, the plane carrying him disappeared over the Channel on Monday evening.