Cristiano Ronaldo (C) disappoints South Korean fans by sitting on the bench throughout a friendly between Juventus and a K-league all-star team last week in Seoul, South Korea. /VCG Photo
More than 2,000 South Korean football fans will sue a sports agency after Juventus' superstar Cristiano Ronaldo did not play a single second in a friendly against K-league all-star team in Seoul last week, a law firm said Monday.
When the game was first announced, organizers said the contract with Juventus obliged Ronaldo to play for at least 45 minutes, prompting many fans to splash out, according to Seoul law firm Myungan.
Tickets - priced from 30,000 won (25 U.S. dollars) to 400,000 won (338 U.S. dollars) - sold out in just two-and-a-half hours when they were released on July 3.
"We plan to officially file the suit on their behalf sometime next week, if the agency does not offer a concrete plan to compensate the ticket holders before then."
Juventus supporters and Ronaldo fans cheer before a friendly between between Juventus and a K-league all-star team last week in Seoul, South Korea. /VCG Photo
The Italian team's flight from Nanjing City, east China's Jiangsu Province, was delayed, so that they landed only five hours before the scheduled start, delaying the kick-off by an hour.
Robin Zhang, CEO of The Festa, the Korean agency which arranged the game, told local broadcaster SBS that "Ronaldo says he doesn't want to play the game."
"He betrayed the 60,000 audience and belittled us," a South Korean who attended the game posted on Instagram. "I'm no longer a Ronaldo fan."
Ronaldo will start his second Serie A campaign of his career with a clash against Parma on August 25, according to Juventus' newly-released fixture list for the 2019-20 season.
With Serie A and Italian Super Cup title last season, the Portuguese played 43 games and scored 28 goals, named Serie A most valuable player in his first season with Juve.
Portuguese star striker Cristiano Ronaldo receives the MARCA award at the Teatro Reina Victoria in Madrid, Spain, July 29, 2019. /VCG Photo
Ronaldo admits he still have the strength to keep winning.
"Juventus will win the Champions League. I don't know if it'll be this year or the next, but it's coming," Ronaldo said when he received the MARCA Legend award for his successful career as a professional footballer.
(With input from AFP)