Frustrated soccer fans sue over Lionel Messi no-show at Vancouver Whitecaps game
CTV
Soccer fans are seeking damages against the Vancouver Whitecaps after their dreams of seeing Argentine superstar Lionel Messi take on the team were dashed at the last minute in May.
Soccer fans are seeking damages against the Vancouver Whitecaps after their dreams of seeing Argentine superstar Lionel Messi take on the team were dashed at the last minute in May.
A proposed class-action lawsuit filed in B.C. Supreme Court this week accuses the Whitecaps organization of pulling a "bait-and-switch" by using Messi – alongside famous teammates Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets – in promotional materials for Vancouver's recent match-up against Inter Miami.
The advertisements appeared in various places, including billboards, social media platforms, print publications and the Ticketmaster website, according to the filing.
"Using such promotional materials as 'bait,' the defendants caused the tickets for the Vancouver v. Miami game to be listed and sold on the primary market at 10 times higher than the price of other Vancouver Whitecaps home games," the lawsuit reads.
The representative plaintiff, Burnaby resident Ho Chun, said he paid $404 including service charges to attend the May 25 game with his partner.
But two days before the match, Miami announced that none of the three star players featured in the advertisements would be attending.
Chun's proposed class-action lawsuit seeks a "partial refund, equivalent to the difference between the ticket price … and the average price of tickets for other Vancouver Whitecaps home games for the same seating via the primary market," plus additional damages.
