The game between Juventus and a South Korean K-League All Star team last Friday in Seoul ended in a 3-3 draw but the winners may be lawyers as thousands of Korean fans are calling for their money back after Cristiano Ronaldo sat on the bench for the entire game – in breach, organisers claim, of contract.
When local politicians are using a club’s Asian tour as another example of their country being disrespected on the global stage then it is safe to say it did not go well. Juventus spent only around nine hours in Seoul but the damage done to their reputation will last much longer.
It ends an interesting summer for European teams in Asia. Manchester United fans booed Ashley Young in Singapore and Manchester City found their China trip overshadowed by a blistering attack made on their perceived attitude to local fans and media by the state-run outlet Xinhua News Agency. The article talked of “utter disrespect shown by Manchester City to their hosts during their tour of China … their appearance in China was nothing more than a commercial obligation and their lack of enthusiasm and the indifferent treatment of their hosts stands in stark contrast to representatives of other clubs”.
The criticism moved Pep Guardiola to mount an impassioned defence of his players and the club’s behaviour. “I should say I don’t agree and also that it’s false,” City’s manager said. It is easy to regard everything in the world’s most populous country as happening as part of a wider long-term strategic game but the overall feeling in China seems to be that City’s tour was not a disaster and that the commentary, written in English by a foreign reporter, was more reflective of the annoyance of one individual over a lack of access than any official position in Beijing.
Juventus survived their Chinese trip intact and Ronaldo played 90 minutes against Internazionale in Nanjing last Wednesday. A delayed flight meant the team arrived in South Korea five hours before the game. Grumbles over a cancelled signing session with fans and a delayed kick-off of almost one hour could probably have been assuaged by a Ronaldo dribble, free-kick and iconic goal celebration or two, but more than 60,000 fans who paid between £20 to £280 for tickets had to wait for what they thought would be a second-half appearance – after all, there were widespread media reports that it had been promised to the K-League and the organisers, The Fasta, that Ronaldo would play at least 45 minutes.
Ronaldo stayed on the bench and fans started to leave before the final whistle when it became clear the former Real Madrid forward would not play. It is safe to say Juventus did not envisage their Asian tour ending with chants of “Messi, Messi” ringing around the stadium. Maurizio Sarri said Ronaldo had muscle fatigue. Local reporters have pointed to the fact that Ronaldo – nominally a substitute – kept his earrings on as evidence he never intended to leave the bench. The player’s refusal to talk to media after the game and his social media post of the next day in which he was on the treadmill saying it was good to be home did not help.
The K-League has apologised for the situation and has been criticised for allowing a small agency called The Fasta to organise and promote the game. This Film Artist Sports and Tech Agency made the event all about Ronaldo, always risky as well as possibly annoying for the local players as well as for Juventus, and has responded by making the contract public. It seems to stipulate that Ronaldo would play 45 minutes and this would be voided only because of injury during the warm-up or game. The penalty clause will cost the Serie A club around a quarter of the £2.5m or so collected for their South Korea visit.
For The Fasta the consequences may be more serious. The legal firm Myungan has warned that if there is no compensation agreed by next week, lawsuits on behalf of 2,000 fans and counting will follow. The agency’s chief executive, Robin Jang, has promised to come up with something. It may have to be special if The Fasta is to avoid the fate of the company that brought Barcelona to Seoul in 2010 and then went bust.
The latest episode shows why there has been a change in how these tours usually operate in Asia. Smaller promoters look now to be out of their depth when bringing over big clubs, which is reflected in the growth of Euro giants playing Euro giants under the umbrella of the International Champions Cup. Then there are massive corporations such as Rakuten of Japan, which can afford to bring over a team it sponsors, Barcelona, to play a team it owns, Vissel Kobe. Or a City Football Group that takes Manchester City to Japan to meet Yokohama F. Marinos, a club it part-owns.
Such arrangements reduce risks. Fans in Asia do not appreciate the feeling they are being disrespected but Real bounced back from their ill-fated tour of China in 2005 when their galácticos looked as if they would rather be anywhere else. Real were big and successful enough to restore their reputation. It remains to be seen whether Juventus can do the same.