Nantes Game Stopped In 9th Minute To Pay Tribute To Emiliano Sala

Posted Thursday, January 31, 2019 by thesportbible.com

There were hugely emotional scenes during Nantes' game against Saint Etienne, with the match stopped in the ninth minute in tribute to Emiliano Sala.

It was Nantes' first home game since the Argentine went missing and his former teammates all wore his number on the back of their shirts to remember him.

Furthermore, a huge banner of the 28-year old was placed in the centre-circle and there was a stunning mosaic created by the home fans.

And then, in a truly incredible moment, the referee blew his whistle and brought the game to a halt as soon as the game entered minute number nine - the squad number Sala wore for Nantes.

The players and staff, along with the fans in the stands then erupted into a wonderful applause. A real classy gesture from the referee.

Play is stopped with nine minutes on the clock in honour of Emiliano Sala 💛💚 pic.twitter.com/o42QRDxKaI
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 30, 2019

Nantes manager Vahid Halilhodzic was visibly upset and struggled to hold back tears as he watched on from the bench.

Last night, Arsenal showed their class for the visit of Cardiff as they included Sala's name on the teamsheet. Instead of a shirt number, however, the Gunners included a daffodil next to his name.