Dramatic. This is how I would describe the days before the Canada Men's National Team match against Curaçao today.
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| BC Place |
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 |
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. |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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.
