A British Columbia soccer fan has filed a proposed class action lawsuit against the Vancouver Whitecaps and Major League Soccer (MLS) over an alleged “bait and switch” strategy used to promote a soccer match involving the soccer star. international football Lionel Messi.
On May 25, 2024, the Vancouver Whitecaps were scheduled to face Inter Miami CF at BC Place.
Fans were excited about the prospect of seeing World Cup winner Lionel Messi take to the field accompanied by Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez and Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets, only to be notified they would not appear just two days before the match.
On Tuesday, June 4, Ho Chun filed a notice of civil claim with the BC Supreme Court and is seeking refunds for the approximately 50,000 fans affected by the situation.
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The lawsuit claims that the use of these famous players as “promotional material” was “bait” that caused the price of tickets to be “ten times higher” than the usual price for other Vancouver Whitecaps home games.
Chun is requesting a partial refund, equal to the difference between the ticket price and the average ticket price for other Vancouver Whitecaps home games, and a full refund for unused tickets and the ability for people to claim additional loss or damage.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC claim they first learned that Messi, Suarez and Busquets were not going to travel to Vancouver only on May 23.
When asked for comment, the club said they “acted immediately to communicate the news to ticket holders” in their May 25 statement and promised fans complimentary tickets to a future Whitecaps home game in 2024.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC said in a statement that they will not be commenting further due to the legal process.
MLS also said it was aware of the filing and would not comment.
None of the claims have been proven in court.
Since last week, more than 2,500 Whitecaps fans have signed a petition asking the Vancouver soccer team to issue a refund for the game, saying they were misled and deserve compensation for unusually high ticket prices.
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