A B.C. man has filed to certify a class action lawsuit against the Vancouver Whitecaps following a sold-out match he says was a “bait-and-switch” when soccer superstar Lionel Messi didn’t play. 

On Tuesday, Ho Chun submitted a notice of a civil claim in the BC Supreme Court, seeking to certify a class action lawsuit that would see ticket holders for the match partially or fully refunded. Major League Soccer was also named as a prospective defendant.

According to the notice, Chun claims that the soccer organizations promoted the appearance of famous players on the Inter Miami CF team — namely Messi, Luis Suárez, and Sergio Busquets — knowing they might not play.

“Using such promotional materials as ‘bait,’ the defendants caused the tickets for the Vancouver v. Miami game to be listed and sold on the primary market at ten times higher than the price of other Vancouver Whitecaps home games,” the notice says.

“Two days before the Vancouver v. Miami Game, the Defendants ‘switched’ and announced that these famous soccer players would not be attending the game.”

Chun is seeking refunds for the approximately 50,000 fans who bought tickets at a significant markup.

Since last week, more than 2,800 people have signed a petition calling on the Whitecaps to refund their tickets.

The football club responded to the petition, saying circumstances were out of its hands.

“Unfortunately, we have no control over who plays for our opponent, and it was important for us to communicate to our fans as soon as possible,” said Axel Schuster, Whitecaps FC CEO.

The soccer club added, “Following the statement, the club confirmed on Saturday that all fans in attendance would receive a complimentary ticket for a future MLS regular season game in 2024.”

But the CEO did not mention whether anyone would be getting their money back.

As of Wednesday, neither the Whitecaps nor Major League Soccer have filed a response to Chun.

None of the claims have been proven in court. 

— With files from Sonia Aslam and Cole Schisler.