Dramatic. This is how I would describe the days before the Canada Men's
National Team match against Curaçao today.
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My Experience (Rant)
I am one of the excited people who purchased tickets to the Iran friendly
scheduled for June 5 and the game today when the tickets were sold last May
14. I chose the section, row, and seats we wanted, and we're good to go.
On May 26, CanMNT announced that the game against Iran had been cancelled and
that refunds would be issued within 30 days. Fine. We still have the game
today to look forward to. Four days later (May 30), they announced that a
friendly match with Panama would be played on June 5 to replace the Iran game.
They even offered it at a really affordable price of $30 (plus fees) per
person. I got three tickets this time.
Then, two hours before the game, when we started our walk to BC Place (Thank
God that we live relatively close to BC Place and can take a 40-minute walk
going there), we randomly checked Twitter just in case it got cancelled. True
enough, there was a press release that the players have decided to go on
strike and won't be playing.
I was upset. After a couple of hours, I calmed down, especially when I
received an official email from Ticketmaster that the organizer had cancelled
the game and that I should expect my refund within 30 days.
Let's do some computation here. On May 14, I paid $219.50 for two tickets for
the Iran match and another $219.50 for two tickets for the Curaçao game.
Then on May 30, I paid $110.25 for three tickets to the Panama game.
As of this post, I still haven't received the $329.75 refund I expect from
Canada Soccer through Ticketmaster for the two cancelled games.
75% Discount
Do you know the real kicker that makes me feel like crap? On June 7, Canada
Soccer sent an email offering a 75% discount for the Curaçao game. So if I
purchased the same section and row on June 7 instead of May 14, I would only
spend $66.25. That's upsetting. I feel like I "donated" $153.25 to the Canada
Soccer Business and the Canada Soccer Association. I don't think I want to do
that, given what has happened.
Last June 7, I sent a message to Canada Soccer Association asking for a
partial refund for the game today. This is the response I received the
following day.
We understand your frustration. Canada Soccer is working towards providing
an opportunity for as many fans to attend the Curacao match as possible.
Fans can request a refund by
logging into your Ticketmaster Account. Once you're in your account, choose
your event, scroll down and click the 'Contact Us' button.
I followed the instructions in the email and spoke with a Ticketmaster
representative, and this is the response I got on June 8.
Hello my name is Andy I will be assisting you today.
At this time, the event is still scheduled as planned and
the Event Organizer is currently not authorizing refunds.
Obviously, one of them is lying, so I forwarded the email I received from
Canada Soccer to Ticketmaster and informed Canada Soccer of what Ticketmaster
said. The "He said, she said" between organizer and Ticketmaster is
exhausting. I still haven't heard from either company, and the game is now
over.
So much hate towards Vancouver
It's also discouraging to see supporters of the National Team from other
cities shame or call out Vancouver folks for the low attendance.
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Walking to BC Place on this rainy afternoon
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1. We're lucky to have two games played at BC Place close to each other on
June 5 and 9, but people have a limited budget they can allocate for these
activities, and it's evident that people opt to watch the game on the weekend.
2. It's not supporters of BC's fault that both games scheduled on Sunday were
cancelled.
3. We haven't received the refund for the Sunday game. If people receive their
money back, they will most likely buy again for the Thursday game.
Results and Farewell
The CanMNT won against Curaçao 4-0. I wasn't fully invested in the match, but
it's nice to see Davies back in BC Place. It's like my younger brother is now
all grown up. LOL.
Moving forward, I won't be subscribing to One Soccer and will most likely not
watch them in person again (unless I get free tickets). The whole experience
has been unexpected, exhausting, and emotional. I'll continue to focus my
energy on the Whitecaps FC (at least they're consistent, and my expectations
could not go any lower), and we will start watching hockey more.
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"Thank you, Fans!" on display at BC Place.
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For people saying that CanMNT should not host any more games in Vancouver, I
am at the point where I don't care.
As a new supporter who purchased tickets to CanMNT matches this window,
watched the
CanWNT
when they were here in April, and even bought shirts to support the team, I am
done. My limited financial resource would instead be spent on a team and
fanbase that will appreciate and respect supporters.
Lastly, we're supporting a one Canada team and it's such a turnoff how much
some supporters do the "our city is better than yours". If we're fighting over
MLS team or CPL team, fine, you can hate each other all you want, but not for
the National Team. The only criticism I throw around is for the team I support
and the 'Caps are getting a lot of that when they don't play well (which is
more frequent than we'd like to see).
June 22 Update:
I am no longer angry or upset about what happened two weeks ago. It also
helped that Canada Soccer refunded $219.50 twice. Meaning, they
essentially refunded the full price I paid for the Iran game which has been
cancelled and for the Curaçao game which I watched. I am okay with them
keeping the payment for the cancelled Panama as payment for
the Curaçao match since I purchased that at a discounted price even
if I purchased three instead of two. Thanks Canada Soccer for doing the right
thing.
Dinner from Bombay South Asian Kitchen
Anyway, now let's discuss the food. Today, we ordered from Bombay South Asian
Kitchen.
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Dinner from Bombay South Asian Kitchen
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It's my fault for having high expectations for delicious South Asian food
inside BC Place.
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Lamb Korma Curry
Tender lamb shoulder, onion, tomato, garam masala, and coconut
milk
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The Lamb Korma Curry lacks flavour. It's like watered down, which is
unfortunate. The naan bread feels like something you'll get from nearby
Costco, and they don't even attempt to keep it warm to give the impression
that it's made in-house.
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Butter Chicken Curry
Boneless chicken, fenugreek, garam masala, crushed tomato, and
cream
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Thankfully, the Butter Chicken Curry has more flavour. So if ever you want
Butter Chicken, it's acceptable. However, if you want a delicious rice bowl,
the one from
Boom Kitchen
is way better.
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Vegetable Samosas (2 pieces)
Handmade with peas, carrots, potatoes, and spices
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The samosas were huge. Definitely bigger than expected, but flavour-wise, it's
not something I can recommend. There are a lot of delicious Indian restaurants
in Vancouver, so my expectation for this kiosk may be unfairly high.
That's it! I'll be back at BC Place on July 2 to watch the Whitecaps FC and
continue my quest to buy from
all food places
inside the stadium.
