South Korean Football Fans Awarded Compensation After Cristiano Ronaldo No-Show In Friendly
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Two football fans in South Korea have been awarded a compensation fee of 371,000 won (£286) after Cristiano Ronaldo's no-show in a friendly between Juventus and the K-League All-Stars.
A total of 60,000 supporters turned out at the Olympic Stadium in July last year to watch the tie, with many hoping to see five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo in action.
But the 34-year-old sat on the bench for the entirety, with manager Maurizio Sarri later claiming he did not select him because of "muscle fatigue".
Cristiano Ronaldo was an unused substitute in Juventus' 3-3 draw with Team K-League today :camera_with_flash: pic.twitter.com/isfKUgPhbv
- Goal (@goal) July 26, 2019
In fact many left the stadium early, while more than 2,000 angry supporters reportedly sued match organisers The Fasta Inc after they publicised that Ronaldo would play at least 45 minutes.
Several months later and a report has claimed that the district court in Incheon, west of Seoul, ordered The Fasta Inc to pay 371,000 won (£240) to both fans.
This consisted of 71,000 won (£46) for the match ticket and 300,000 won (£196) for "mental anguish".
SEOUL, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Two South Korean soccer fans who sued the match organiser after Cristiano Ronaldo failed to play in a friendly during Juventus's pre-season tour in Seoul last year are entitled to compensation, a court ruled on Tuesday.
- Vincent Lee (@Rover829) February 4, 2020
Reuters: A district court in Incheon, west of Seoul, ordered the local agency that organised the match, The Fasta Inc, to pay 371,000 won ($312) to both fans listed in the lawsuit.
- Vincent Lee (@Rover829) February 4, 2020
Reuters: The lawsuit complained that The Fasta Inc had publicised Ronaldo would play for at least 45 minutes, but the Portugal star ultimately sat out the entire game in July 2019.
- Vincent Lee (@Rover829) February 4, 2020
Back in July, attorney Kim Hun Ki said many are wanting to be reimbursed for the money they laid out.
"So far, more than 2,000 fans have contacted us to pursue the suit," she told AFP.
"We plan to officially file the suit on their behalf some time next week, if the agency does not offer a concrete plan to compensate the ticket holders before then."
Reports in South Korea said that Ronaldo and teammates were also slated to do an autograph signing session prior to the game.
But that was postponed because their flight from Nanjing in China was delayed, meaning the subsequent game started 58 minutes later than it should have done.
While supporters went home unhappy because of Ronaldo's no-show, they did at least get to see his trademark "SIUUUUU!" celebration.
When Brazilian player Cesinha scored the second for the K-League XI, he and two of his teammates performed Ronaldo's signature move and even pointed at him.
Team K League player Cesinha scored for his team and then does the Ronaldo SIUUU celebration with his teammates while pointing towards Cristiano on the bench.
- TeamCRonaldo (@TeamCRonaldo) July 26, 2019
Cesinha also asked for Ronaldo's shirt after Half-Time. pic.twitter.com/1eYb7HZ9G8
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Topics: Football News, South Korea, Football, Fans, Cristiano Ronaldo