More than 2,000 fans sue because Ronaldo won't play in Korea; Cong Phuong shyly puts his arm around his teammate
(Baonghean.vn) - The fact that the Juventus star did not enter the field in the match against the K-League All-Stars on July 26 made many spectators angry. Meanwhile, Vietnamese fans expressed their love when they watched the moment Cong Phuong became close with his new teammates.
A law firm in South Korea has confirmed that more than 2,000 fans will file a lawsuit against the organizers of last week's friendly between Juventus and the K-League All-Stars in Seoul. The fans are angry that Cristiano Ronaldo did not play a single minute that day.
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Ronaldo sat on the bench as Juventus drew 3-3 with the K-League All-Stars. Photo:AFP. |
"We plan to file a lawsuit on their behalf next week if the organizer does not have a concrete plan to compensate those who bought tickets," Myungan Company lawyer Kim Hun-ki told reporters.AFP.
More than 65,000 people filled the stands at the World Cup stadium, and many of them bought tickets just to see the Portuguese star play. Towards the end of the match, frustrated that Ronaldo did not enter the field, many fans even chanted "Lionel Messi, Lionel Messi" to irritate the Juventus striker.
In promoting the match, the organizers claimed that Ronaldo’s contract with Juventus required him to play for at least 45 minutes. This, according to Myungan Company, prompted many fans to buy tickets. Tickets, which ranged in price from $25 to $338, sold out within two and a half hours of going on sale.
Juventus' flight from Nanjing, China to Seoul was delayed, so they landed just 5 hours before the match started. The organizers had to delay the kick-off time by 1 hour.
Robin Zhang, CEO of The Festa Company - the organizer of the match, shed tears as he told the TV stationSBSthat she complained about this to Juventus Vice President Pavel Nedved during the match.Nedved replied: "I also hope Ronaldo comes on the field. But he doesn't want to and there's nothing I can do."
Zhang said toSBSthat she would seek compensation for those who had purchased tickets. Ronaldo was criticized on social media after the incident.
Patrice Evra retires
"My playing career ends today. I took part in the UEFA B coaching course in 2013, and now I will complete it, then proceed to get the A certificate. In a year and a half, if everything goes well, I will be ready to lead a team. Sir Alex Ferguson once predicted that two of his players would become senior coaches: Ryan Giggs and Patrice Evra," Evra told Gazzetta dello Sports on July 29.
Evra started his football career playing for two youth teams in Italy, Marsala and Monza. He then returned to France, where he played for six seasons for Nice and Monaco. It was his form during this time that caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.
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| Evra moved to MU in 2006 and was among the most successful winter transfers in history. |
Wearing the Man Utd shirt since January 2006, Evra quickly became one of the best left-backs in Europe. He enjoyed seven and a half successful years with a series of titles: 5 Premier League, 3 League Cups and 1 Champions League.
With the French team, the 38-year-old player started playing in August 2004. He has participated in 5 major international tournaments, including Euro 2016 on home soil.
Cong Phuong shyly puts his arm around his teammate at Sint-Truidense VV
On his personal page, Sint-Truidense VV defender Pol Garcia Tena shared the moment when Cong Phuong shyly put his arm around Japanese goalkeeper Daniel Schmidt. Both are new players of the Belgian team.
Vietnamese fans expressed their love when watching the moment Cong Phuong became close with his new teammates. One account left a comment: "Thanks to the Japanese goalkeeper, Cong Phuong is no longer alone in Belgium."
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| Cong Phuong is close to goalkeeper Schmidt. |
Despite only having been in Europe for a few short weeks, Cong Phuong has shown that he has integrated quite quickly. Sint-Truidense VV player Jorge Teixeira shared a photo of Cong Phuong and his teammates happily drinking coffee with the caption: "A warm welcome to our new recruit."
Captain Yoo said: "Cong Phuong is introverted. Foreign players should have tried to adapt more. In that regard, he is a bit regrettable. Cong Phuong's English is not good, and our players cannot speak Vietnamese either."
In his third time playing for a foreign team, the striker from Do Luong expressed his determination to quickly get used to and adapt to the European environment. With the images shared by Sint-Truidense VV players on social media, Vietnamese fans gradually felt reassured when Cong Phuong was close and comfortable with his new teammates.
On July 17, Cong Phuong made his debut for Sint-Truidense VV in a friendly match against Lommel SK, but the Vietnamese striker did not play the full 90 minutes. In the end, the team nicknamed "The Canaries" lost 1-2 to a team that was considered weaker.
Ten days later, Sint-Truidense VV officially entered the new season with a match against Mouscron Excel. Despite being on the roster as a midfielder, Cong Phuong had to sit on the bench for the entire match and witnessed his team lose 0-1.
