A sports agency behind a friendly match in Seoul, South Korea, is now in trouble with the police after superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was not featured in a match it organised.
The police raided The Fasta’s office as they are investigating it for fraud.
According to AFP, the police said the raid, which followed a criminal complaint, was intended to investigate whether the agency lied by claiming Ronaldo was guaranteed to play.
Ronaldo’s absence in the match against K-League has also caused a row between the teams, with the latter accusing Juventus of arrogance and disdain for fans, while the accused said the footballer was rested for medical reasons.
AFP quoted the police as saying, “We raided the office on Thursday.
“We are looking into whether the agency proceeded with the match even though they were well aware prior to the game that Ronaldo may not — or was not going to — play.”
A criminal complaint filed by a prosecutor-turned-lawyer accuses agency The Fasta of swindling some 6 billion won (US$4.9 million) worth of ticket sales by saying the contract with the Italian club obliged Ronaldo to play for at least 45 minutes, and not warning buyers that he might not appear.
The lawyer, Oh Seok-Hyun, did not go to the match himself but filed the complaint because he “thought it was very unjust”, one of his colleagues told AFP.
