Barca Soccer Academy licensee and co-organizer declares insolvency; leaving families across Canada out thousands.

Veiled behind the effects of COVID-19, BCN Sports Services Inc. has emailed clients that they are ending operations.  On April 30, an email sent to clients across Canada states "Despite our efforts to find ways to make our project financially viable, we are forced to stop our operations, and given the position of the company we intend to file for voluntary insolvency as the best way for orderly closure."

BCN Sports Services is the licensed operator of Barca Soccer Academies in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.  The Barca Academy, also known as FCB Escola, is the worldwide academy offshoot of the famous Spanish soccer team FC Barcelona, known for such superstars as Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and Luis Suárez.

The BCN Sports email reads "the extraordinary and unanticipated circumstances around the pandemic COVID 19 have resulted in the cancellation of a number of national and international events, with a very negative impact on the financial situation of our company."

This is sitting well with Canadian families.

"We have been fighting with BCN Sports since mid-march for refunds that were owed to families", says Danny.  He paid over $500 to register his son for a Spring Break camp in Edmonton that was cancelled. "I Spoke to Edgar Chandre, Project Director at BCN, and he told me they would not refund my registration because they needed the money for other things. I would like to know what things? Apparently not anything to do with Soccer."

And Danny is not alone.  Families in Edmonton, Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto have come forward, and they all have similar stories.

A source in Edmonton,wishing to remain anonymous, says "any attempts I’ve made to speak to someone have gone unanswered. We didn’t even get the uniforms we paid for! We are out approximately $1000."  Mariem, Crystal and Monika had their sons registered in the same Edmonton camp.  When requesting refunds, the responses from BCN Sports were all the same.  In one email from Edgar Chandre, he writes, "providing a credit to our clients is something that has a huge negative impact on our operations", and goes on to say "we believe that is the best option to preserve the continuation of our activities and guarantee that all our clients will be able to receive the services that they paid for."

Danny suspects there were other motives. "The writing is all over the wall. The shut down activities mid March, by April they have laid off all the staff, and now they say they have no money? They have been taking registrations on-line the entire time.  How can they be out of money? They have all of our money, and now they are taking off with it."

And potentially, it is a lot of money.  Families across Canada have paid BCN Sports thousands each for a planned trip to Spain that was to occur in late March, but COVID-19 saw that cancelled.  Mike from Montreal is out for his son's trip fees. "I have heard of a family that paid for five people to go to Spain. I heard they are out roughly $30 thousand. I am out $2600. Not the end of the world, but better in my pocket than BCN Sports'."

A Facebook group started in March is bringing angry families together. Jon in Vancouver found the page after repeated attempts to contact BCN Sports went unanswered. He believes "there are five other families that lost out on the Spain trip. And a bunch more for the summer season."

The families are all in agreement.  BCN Sports Services has stolen from them.

"The fight is not over," says Danny.  "They think they are going to get away with hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not more, and they might.  Unfortunately there are too many stories of shady companies stealing from Canadian families.  But no matter what the outcome, we will do our best to let everyone know who BCN Sports Services is, who their management is, and what they did to families during the pandemic.  The executives at BCN Sports don't belong anywhere near Canadian soccer ever again. They belong in a cell."

The families hopes that FC Barcelona and FCB Escola will step in. "This club and school have a worldwide presence and brand that is being tarnished by the actions of some disreputable individuals."

According to their Facebook page, BCN Sports Services Canada Inc. is headquartered in North York, Ontario and was founded in 2013 by  Francisco Cervera & Stephen Tung.  Online sources have identified their team as Victor Berenguer (Managing Director Operations), Edgar Chandre (Project Director), former (Sports Director), Hélène Zannou (Marketing Manager), Alex Bosch (Operations Manager) and Enric Castellanos (Admin & Finance Manager). In Canada, Barca Academies are operated in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.

Repeated attempts to contact  BCN Sports and Barca Academy Canada have gone unanswered.

www.bcnsports.com

https://www.facebook.com/BCNSportsIntl/

https://fcbcanada.com/

https://www.fcbarcelona.com/en/

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To contact the author email atkinson_dannyr@gmail.com