Deadline For Cardiff City To Pay Nantes Extended Until Feb. 27

The deadline for EPL side Cardiff City to pay the first installment of the £15M ($19.6M) transfer fee for Emiliano Sala was extended until Feb. 27, according to the BBC. The Bluebirds were due to make the first payment to Ligue 1 side Nantes on Wednesday, but the clubs have reportedly agreed to "a delay of one week." Nantes wrote to Cardiff on Feb. 5 with a request for the first of three installments to be paid. Cardiff said that it was withholding payment while seeking "clarification" on details of the accident and wants to "wait until crash investigations are complete." Cardiff is also querying "anomalies" in contract details, but said that it will be "honourable" with Nantes over the transfer fee if it is contractually obliged to pay. French side Bordeaux is due 50% of the fee "because of a sell-on clause" when it sold Sala to Nantes in '15. If next week's deadline is not met, then the dispute "could be referred" to FIFA (BBC, 2/20).

TROUBLE IN NANTES: OUEST-FRANCE reported Nantes’ HQ was raided by French court of audit officials on Tuesday. An investigation was opened against club President Waldemar Kita for alleged tax evasion. French audit officials confirmed the investigation, which is part of a coordinated effort with nine other countries involving 12 million files from Football Leaks (OUEST-FRANCE, 2/20).