Cardiff City must pay French club Nantes an initial six million euros ($6.5 million) in their dispute over the payment of the transfer fee for Emiliano Sala, FIFA said on Monday.

Premier League club Cardiff have requested a meeting with French outfit Nantes to resolve their dispute over Emiliano Sala's transfer fee, the Welsh-based side said on Wednesday.

French club Nantes have referred their dispute with Cardiff City over the transfer fee of Emiliano Sala to FIFA, football's governing body confirmed on Wednesday.

Nantes were fined a total of 21,000 euros ($23,800) by the French league's disciplinary committee on Wednesday after supporters set off flares during tributes for the late Emiliano Sala.

Nantes paid an emotional tribute to "warrior" Emiliano Sala at the Stade de la Beaujoire on Wednesday before their first match since their former striker's plane disappeared over the Channel last week.

With results slipping and the club only grudgingly denying rumours of a divorce, the love affair between French club Nantes and Claudio Ranieri appears to be fading.

The referee who kicked a player during a French Ligue 1 game and then sent him off has been suspended "until further notice", the French Football Federation (FFF) said on Monday.

Italian Claudio Ranieri is the new coach of Nantes, the Ligue 1 side said on Tuesday, just four months after he was sacked by Leicester City.