Juventus news: K-League demands 'sincere apology' from 'irresponsible' Bianconeri for benching Cristiano Ronaldo in Seoul friendly
What's the story?
The K-League, South Korea’s domestic league, have expressed its indignation and disappointment after Juventus refused to issue an apology for breaking contractual terms when they decided to bench Cristiano Ronaldo in a pre-season exhibition match in Seoul last week.
In case you didn't know
Juventus played out a 3-3 draw against the K League All-Stars at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Friday last week.
According to the event's organisers, Ronaldo was obligated to play at least 45 minutes of the game as per the Old Lady's contract with them. However, the Bianconeri medical staff advised the former Real Madrid forward to rest due to muscle fatigue from a game played two days earlier at Nanjing, China.
The Portugal international only recently concluded his long season as he led his national team to the inaugural UEFA Nations League title with a win over the Netherlands in the final.
The game further saw a delay of about an hour as Juventus were reported to have arrived in South Korea on a delayed flight from Nanjing.
The massive 63,000 fans, who were gathered at the stadium to watch Ronaldo in action, were left disappointed and frustrated with his absence. They subsequently jeered at the former Real Madrid superstar and even chanted Lionel Messi's name in an effort to spite him.
The heart of the matter
The K League, who had to deal with the repercussions of the contract breach, had sent out a letter to Juventus over the violation, but the club's chairman, Andrea Agnelli, denied the claims and refused to apologise for Ronaldo's absence.
The response has clearly not gone down well with the K League, who responded with a statement that read (via The Guardian), "K League clearly registers our profound indignation and disappointment to Juventus’ irresponsible behaviour and manners, and we strongly urge Juventus to offer a sincere apology and explain the reason for Ronaldo’s no-show."
"The key point … is that Ronaldo did not play even for a minute, contrary to the contract guarantee that he would play for at least 45 minutes. However, Juventus’s reply did not offer any apology nor did it explain what exactly happened that day."
The league further rejected Juventus' claims that a delay in the airport and heavy traffic led to a delay in the match.
"Juventus’ claim that it took roughly 1 hour 50 minutes to exit the airport proved to be a lie. It took only 26 minutes to go through immigration for all 76 [members of the] Juventus delegation and it was verified by the Korea Immigration Service afterwards."
"It is obvious to say that the club undervalued South Korea and neglected the current situation [which] originated from Juventus’s irresponsible behaviour and manners, including Ronaldo’s no-show."
What's next?
Earlier this week, it was revealed that the football fans who were at the stadium were planning to take legal action against the Bianconeri, with compensation for ticket prices and mental anguish said to be one of their demands.
It remains to be seen how the Old Lady will respond to the K League's demands as well as the impending lawsuit from fans.