A small village in Argentina on Saturday bid farewell to a favorite son, the soccer striker Emiliano Sala, who died along with his pilot last month when his small plane crashed in the English Channel. Friends, family and supporters gathered early Saturday in the village of Progreso, in the country’s northeast, for a wake at Mr. Sala’s soccer boyhood club, San Martín de Progreso, where his body lay in state. A religious ceremony was held in the afternoon, and he was to be cremated, reports said. “We are waiting for you, Emi,” the San Martín club posted on Facebook ahead of the body’s arrival. We’re a small village and Emi was a celebrity, the only player to turn professional.”

Source: New York Times February 16, 2019 15:42 UTC