A man was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of manslaughter following the deaths of Argentinian soccer player Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson in a plane crash on January 21.

Detective Inspector Simon Huxter of Dorset Police said in a statement: "As a result of our enquiries we have today, Wednesday 19 June 2019, arrested a 64-year-old man from the North Yorkshire area on suspicion of manslaughter by an unlawful act."

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"He is assisting with our enquiries and has been released from custody under investigation."

Flight disappeared over the English Channel

Sala was on a private plane taking the striker from his previous club Nantes to his new club Cardiff City, which had agreed to pay a record fee of 15 million pounds (€17 million, $19 million) to Nantes just days earlier.

Having signed on the dotted line for Cardiff, 28-year-old Sala then returned to northern France to collect his belongings and say goodbye to friends and teammates. The plane disappeared on the flight back to Wales from Nantes.

There was an outpouring of emotion from the footballing world as authorities began to look for the missing plane.

The search was initially suspended, but thanks to donations from various sources, including football stars such as Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, a private mission then led authorities to the scene of the crash.

Sala's body was recovered from the wreckage but Ibbotson's body has never been found.

The incident has been mired in controversy — from the revelation that Ibbotson did not have a license to fly at night, to Cardiff's reluctance to pay the transfer fee Nantes feel they are owed.

Sala's father Horacio died of a heart attack just three months after his son perished.

jsi/se (AFP, dpa, AP)

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