In what could be deemed as a landmark ruling, 162 football fans have won a court case after citing emotional distress because Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t play for Juventus in a pre-season friendly in South Korea in the summer of 2019.
During the match against a K-League All Star XI, the Portuguese was kept on the bench the entire time, with the Daily Star noting that it led to booing from the 65,000 strong crowd and the subsequent court action.
Apparently, match promoter, The Fasta, had advertised the match suggesting that Ronaldo would play, leading one fan to travel all the way from Sweden to watch the game, according to the Daily Star.
As a result of Ronaldo’s no show, The Seoul Central District Court have told The Fasta to reimburse the 162 fans who brought the case before them.
“The defendant has contractual obligations of Ronaldo playing in the game barring any unforeseen circumstances,” a court communique via Yonhap News Agency and cited by the Daily Star, read.
The amount of redress to be paid is believed to be half of the ticket price.
That works out at between 30,000 and 400,000 South Korean won, which is the equivalent of between £20 – £270. There will also be an additional 50,000 won (£34) paid as compensation.