Neil Warnock has called Emiliano Sala’s death a ‘loss to everyone in football’ following confirmation that a body recovered from the English Channel was that of the Cardiff City striker.
Sala was identified by authorities on Thursday after a body was brought back to the surface from the wreckage of the Piper Malibu, which went missing on January 21.
Pilot David Ibbotson, the only other person on the aircraft, remains missing.
Tributes have poured in for Cardiff’s record-signing, who died aged 28 just two days after joining the Premier League side from Nantes.
The Bluebirds wore shirts with yellow daffodils on them in last weekend’s defeat of Bournemouth, while a shirt bearing a photo of Sala was raised by the club’s players after Bobby Reid opened the scoring.
Cardiff have asked the Premier League to wear the daffodils again for this weekend’s trip to Southampton, while both teams are expected to don black armbands throughout the match.
Emiliano Sala: Born in Argentina, forged in France, and tragically taken on his way to Wales
“You’ve seen tributes from all over the place, from little clubs in the fourth division to the top clubs,” Warnock said in his first press conference since the confirmation of Sala’s death.
“When something like this happens it brings all the football family together.
“It’s a loss to everyone in football. I know we’re the closest, but when you see the response from world-class players and the amount of money they were able to raise (for the recovery process) in the space of a few hours was amazing.”
Cardiff are reportedly at risk of a transfer ban due to a dispute with Nantes over the £15million fee paid to the Ligue 1 club for Sala.
The Bluebirds did not pay the first instalment of the fee within the required time frame and Nantes are believed to be prepared to launch a legal case against them.
Warnock said of the financial issue: “The least of my worries is the record signing, finance does not come into it from my point of view.
“I couldn’t be more grateful to Ken (Choo, chief executive) and Mehmet (Dalman, chairman), they are keeping everything away from me.
“Off the field they are dealing with all that, and that’s the way to move forward.
“I’ve got enough on my plate dealing with the football on the field.”