Emiliano Sala's body to be flown to Argentina for vigil at boyhood club

The body of tragic footballer Emiliano Sala will be flown back to his native Argentina for a vigil held in the gym next to the player's boyhood team Club Atletico Social San Martin in the province of Santa Fe on Friday.

Sala's body was recovered on February 6 from the English Channel after the aircraft in which he was traveling to make his £15 million move from Nantes to Cardiff crashed en route to the Welsh capital on January 21.

His remains were pulled from the wreckage on the seabed after a £324,000 private search, and a pathologist later confirmed the 28-year-old had died of head and chest injuries.

The aircraft's pilot, David Ibbotson, is still missing and unaccounted for, but a search for the Englishman continues to receive funding.

Julio Muller, mayor of Sala's hometown of Progreso in Argentina, said Sala's "mother, sister and brother have already arrived in Progreso" and that the player's body would reach Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires early on Friday, local time, The Sun reported.

His body will then make the six-hour journey from landing to the gym next to his hometown team, whom he played for until he was 15, later attracting interest from France and making the switch to Europe.