Toronto man, son almost miss ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ chance to see Germany’s World Cup game

A fan of the German team bought World Cup tickets for him and his son, but about a week before the game, he was told they weren't available. Pat Foran reports.

Ron Studt is a huge fan of Germany’s soccer team and so is his son, which is why for a Christmas present he bought two tickets to see the June 20^th match against Ivory Coast in Toronto.

“I’m a big Germany fan. I’m German, obviously; my son is German. I have soccer tattoos and collect soccer merchandise,” said Studt, who added, “it’s probably a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see them play right at home (in Canada).”

Studt purchased the two tickets using StubHub in December for $2,000, but about a week before the game he was told the tickets were no longer available.

The Toronto resident said he got a notice that said, “the seller of the tickets would be unable to provide the tickets.”

Last week, CTV News reported on a similar incident that nearly prevented a man and his grandson from attending the same FIFA match in Toronto.

StubHub has a FanProtect guarantee that says it will provide alternative tickets or a refund.

Studt felt there were tickets available to the game, but he was being told there were not available; however, he could apply for a refund.

“They are basically forcing me to take the refund, I guess,” says Studt.

Studt has seen Germany play in a World Cup before and wanted his son to have the same experience, which is why he said he didn’t want a refund and felt StubHub should be able to find him tickets to the game.

“Provide us with tickets to the game. That’s what I purchased, that’s what I locked in for and that’s the gift that I intended to be for myself and my son,” said Studt.

When CTV News reached out to StubHub, a spokesperson said in a statement, “We understand that attending the World Cup represents a significant investment in time and money, and we take our responsibility to every fan who books through our platform seriously.”

“Many of the issues fans are facing trace back to the event organizer’s technology infrastructure, newly announced transfer restrictions, and a new app that was launched just a month ago ahead of such a major event.”

StubHub added, “Regardless of the cause, when sellers don’t deliver tickets on time, StubHub investigates and takes swift action in line with our terms & conditions, including permanent bans and financial penalties. Every order on StubHub is backed by our FanProtect guarantee, which provides alternative tickets or a full refund.”

In the end, StubHub provided Studt with two tickets, which he said were selling for $6,000 and were ten rows closer to the field.

Studt and his son were able to attend Saturday’s game and Germany won the match against the Ivory Coast 2 to 1, which he said gave him and his son wonderful memories to last a lifetime.