The safety of Emiliano Sala, Cardiff City's record signing, is in grave doubt following the disappearance of a plane of which he was a passenger.
Sala signed for the Welsh club last weekend, a £15m signing from French side Nantes. It was a light aircraft travelling from the city with which contact was lost over the English channel, and English marine authorities are striking an increasingly grave note on whether they will find its two passengers alive.
Chief officer of the Channel Island Air Search, John Fitzgerald, warned that the weather conditions are hampering enthusiasm as to the likely outcome.
He said that the chances of finding Sala and the pilot are "reducing rapidly", and "with the sea temperatures and the sea conditions the chances of finding anybody alive are reducing all the time"
Cardiff statement on Emiliano Sala
Cardiff have since released a statement on the club's website:
We were very shocked upon hearing the news that the plane had gone missing. We expected Emiliano to arrive last night into Cardiff and today was due to be his first day with the team.
"Our owner, Tan Sri Vincent Tan, and chairman, Mehmet Dalman, are all very distressed about the situation.
"We made the decision first thing this morning to call off training with the thoughts of the squad, management staff and the entire Club with Emiliano and the pilot.
"All of us at Cardiff City FC would like to thank our fans, and the entire footballing family for their support at this difficult time.
"We continue to pray for positive news."
Cardiff City's next game in the Premier League comes next Tuesday, away to Arsenal at the Emirates.
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