UK Edition
Neil Warnock questioned by police investigating accusations Willie McKay threatened to 'kill everybody'
Neil Warnock has been questioned by police investigating accusations Willie McKay threatened to “kill everybody” at Cardiff City, the Sunday Telegraph can reveal.
It can be disclosed that Warnock witnessed one of the alleged altercations between the man who booked Emiliano Sala’s doomed flight and senior club officials, which this newspaper exclusively revealed were being probed by South Wales Police.
Cardiff’s manager has been interviewed having previously told the Telegraph he had not heard much of an exchange that formed part of a formal complaint to the police.
It can also be revealed that there are four people to whom such threats were allegedly made, both in person and over the telephone.
All four – who the Telegraph has agreed not to name – have been questioned as well by officers after providing them with formal witness statements.
As of last week, police had yet to interview McKay, who has already denied the accusations against him.
He also has a long history with Warnock, who told the Telegraph last month he had fallen victim to a “vendetta” over the pair’s links since Sala’s tragic death and denied they were “big pals”.
Cardiff on Saturday declined to comment on what is an ongoing investigation, having previously said: “It was necessary and appropriate for South Wales Police to be engaged on the matter.”
Among their accusations is that McKay threatened to “kill everybody” at the club on the same weekend as Sala’s funeral in Argentina a month ago.
He is alleged to have told officials: “I’ll kill everybody if my sons get slaughtered.”
McKay’s eldest son, Mark, was one of the agents involved in Sala’s transfer from Nantes to Cardiff, while another of his sons, Jack, helped make arrangements for the player’s doomed trip.
McKay has previously claimed he and his children – two of whom are Cardiff players – had “been through hell” over reprisals that followed the January 21 plane crash.
He has also accused Cardiff of “trying to throw me under the bus” and of attempting to shift blame for Sala’s death on to “an easy target”.
This Telegraph has been told his alleged threats prompted club lawyers to write to his lawyers requesting he desist and banning him from their stadium.
McKay has previously been abusive towards Telegraph reporters investigating the flight that killed Sala.
News of the police investigation followed an explosive television interview with McKay last month which cast major doubt on the legality of that flight.
In it, McKay admitted agreeing to pay the entire cost of the journey, a practice banned for such trips under the Civil Aviation Act.
That is because neither the pilot, Dave Ibbotson, nor the plane, a Piper Malibu PA-46-310P, had been licenced to undertake commercial flights.
McKay has repeatedly stated that Sala’s fatal flight was booked via Dave Henderson – an experienced light-aircraft pilot who had flown him around Europe on many occasions – and that he had no input into the selection of pilot or plane.
Henderson has yet to comment on any of McKay’s claims and attempts to reach him have been unsuccessful.