A South Korean court ruled on Tuesday that a local organizing company pay compensation to the public because of the failure of Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo in a friendly match for his team, Juventus, in Seoul last summer.
Juventus, the Italian league champion in the last eight seasons, angered the South Korean fans last July because Ronaldo did not participate in a friendly match against the South Korean league stars, which ended in a 3-3 draw at the World Cup stadium in the capital, Seoul, before 65,000 spectators.
Ronaldo missed the meeting, even though he was the face of the promotional campaign carried out by the “Vista” agency for the match, which made the tickets, which ranged between 30 thousand won (25 dollars) and 400 thousand (approximately 340 dollars), ran out in less than 3 minutes.
The South Korean Yonhap News Agency reported that two local fans filed a lawsuit against The Vista for false advertising, and the Incheon District Court sentenced the promoter to pay 371,000 won ($ 312) each, without ruling. Or a fine for Juventus or Ronaldo.
Myung law firm reported at the time that the organizers of the match confirmed that the contract signed with Juventus, required Ronaldo to spend at least 45 minutes, which prompted fans to rush to buy tickets.
Robin Chang, the executive director of Vista, revealed that she complained to the vice-president of Juventus, the former Czech player Pavel Nedved, during the match, about the lack of involvement of Ronaldo, and he replied by saying, “I also hope that Ronaldo will play. But he said he does not want. I’m sorry, I can’t do anything. ”
She stressed that the agency will find “compensation methods” for ticket holders.
And Ronaldo’s refusal to participate was met with angry reactions on social media, where one of the fans considered that the Portuguese international “betrayed and underestimated 60,000 spectators”, adding: “I am no longer a Ronaldo fan”, at a time accused the South Korean League of Juventus of deception, expressing About “disappointment and a sense of fraud”.
The association also criticized the Italian club’s travel arrangements and its delay of nearly two hours at the airport exit, adding, “It is clear that the South Korean League expresses our indignation and deep disappointment at Juventus’s immoral behavior, and we strongly urge Juventus to offer an honest apology and explain why Ronaldo did not participate.”
The fans attacked Ronaldo, urging the boycott of the products promoted by the Golden Ball winner 5 times, while “Naldo-style” became a common term to avoid work.
