Cristiano Ronaldo’s No-Show at South Korean Friendly Prompts Fans to File Lawsuit

South Korea-based law firm MyungAn revealed Monday that more than 2,000 football fans were seeking their services to file a lawsuit against The Fasta, an event organizer that promoted the friendly match and stressed that Ronaldo would play at least 45 minutes of the game.

Lawyers Yu Hyung Bin and Kim Hun Ki of the firm stated in a Monday blog post that the event organizer profited largely from its Ronaldo advertisements, as tickets, which were priced roughly between $25 and $338, sold out in a matter of just two and a half hours.

“The abrupt cancellation of Ronaldo’s attendance in the fan signing event, the delay in kickoff due to team Juventus’ tardiness and the 400,000 won ($337) buffet with no chairs and tables are also problems,” the statement further notes. According to the Korea Herald, the buffet was advertised as part of Fasta’s premium package for the football match.

The Fasta recently told the Herald that agency officials had repeatedly reached out to the Juventus team regarding Ronaldo’s no-show on the field, and that their inquiries were “ignored.” According to AFP, Festa CEO Robin Zhang told a local broadcaster that when she contacted Juventus Vice Chairman Pavel Nedved, the Czech official indicated that Ronaldo hadn’t wanted to play.

During the game, upset fans weren’t afraid to put their frustrations with Ronaldo on display, with many opting to chant the name of FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi in an effort to urge the Juventus player to lace up his boots, according to AFP.

Kim told the French news agency that the firm plans to “officially file the suit on [the fans’] behalf sometime next week, if the agency does not offer a concrete plan to compensate the ticket holders before then."