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Timeline

BCN Sports Services - Timeline of a fraud

March 10, 2020
  • FC Barcelona World Cup is cancelled

March 13, 2020
  • Canada Soccer suspends all soccer related activities. BCN Sports follows lead and cancels all remaining Canadian March Break camps.
  • BCN Sports offers credit but refuses refunds
  • Posts updated Participant Agreement on website

March 18, 2020
  • BCN Sports postpones Australian activities until April 14.
  • BCN Sports posts updated Participant Agreement on website containing stronger wording on refunds and cancellations

March 20, 2020
  • BCN Sports refuses any refunds. Claims it's the only way to maintain the services that clients have paid for.

March 27, 2020
  • BCN Sports posts updated Participant Agreement; Cancellation & Refund Policy revised with even stronger wording on refunds and COVID-19
  • BCN Sports emails clients.
    •  Re: World Cup Tournament cancellation - "As per our recent conversation with FC Barcelona, we have been informed that a decision regarding refunds will be made at the early next week." 

March 30, 2020
  • BCN Sports posts another updated Participant Agreement; the Cancellation & Refund Policy is the strongest worded yet - pray they don't cancel.

April 3, 2020
  • BCN Sports emails clients.
    •  Re: World Cup Tournament cancellation - "We have not been able to obtain a definite answer from FC Barcelona and its suppliers regarding the status of potential refunds/credits for the canceled events. Our intention is to fight for you. We are working very hard to secure this as it is not our decision to make."

April 14, 2020
  • BCN Sports email to Canadian clients:
    •  Re: Summer Season - the season will start once Canada soccer and run for the 6 months that our members registered for.
    • Re: World Cup Tournament cancellation: BCN is working together with Barca Academy to negotiate refunds...I was assured that they are working their best to push more information to be sent out to you all.
  • BCN Sports email to Australian clients
    • Winter Season will commence July 20; Term 4 October 12; Holiday camps in September, October & December, with Term 1 scheduled for 2021

April 29, 2020
  • BCN Sports offices at #113, 60 Scarsdale Rd. are found abandoned by landlord. Rent is past due.

April 30, 2020
  • BCN Sports emails Canadian clients.
    •  "we are forced to stop our operations, and given the position of the company we intend to file for voluntary insolvency"
May 5, 2020
  • Francisco (Patxi ) Cervera in a statement to Cadena SER
    • "We're finally a victim of the covid-19 situation. We had paid many suppliers (travel agency, ticketing, etc.) for the Barça Academy World Cup tournament which in the end could not be played. We have been quite criminalized. We have not disappeared nor have we taken any money"
      • *Note: See April 29, 2020* in response to his comment "we have not disappeared"
      • *Mr. Cervera states they "had paid many suppliers". Although this may be true, the families paid him first. He has offered no evidence that BCN paid for anything.*
      • *Note: Mr. Cervera does not address the hundreds of thousands of dollars accepted for camps in Canada or Australia that were unrelated to the World Cup Tourmament. Families gave BCN money which he has not returned. The dictionary defines taken as "to accept or receive". As no money has been returned, Mr. Cervera has, by definition taken money.*
  • BCN Sports emails Australian clients
    • “…for those who have paid for the full year, your fees paid would account for these pushed back Terms so you would be registered for Winter 2020 (now Term 3 and 4), and Summer 2021 (now Term 1 2121).”
      • **Note: BCB Sports has already stated their intention to file for voluntary insolvency ion Canada
May 6, 2020
  • Francisco (Patxi ) Cervera live interview with Cadena SER
    • When asked where has all the money gone, Mr. Cervera states "as company we have payments and get paid as well. We have made payments to suppliers in Barcelona."
      • Again, Mr. Cervera distorts the facts. He fails to mention that he has also collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from families that were not paid to anyone in Barcelona. Local camp fees and academy fees in Canada and Australia that were not affected by the cancellation of there World Cup trip. Where is all that money?
    • Mr Cervera goes on to speak about families disputing the charges with their credit card companies and PayPal... "I would like to add that the families who paid with credit card…most of the are receiving the refunds from Paypal…the system how it works here (Spain) is that when the services are not given, the credit card cover reimburses the money…$50,000 (Canadian dollars) in process to be refunded at the moment."
      • BCN Sports has absconded with millions of dollars. What Mr. Cervera omits to say  is that BCN Sports is challenging the disputes, working to deny the refunds, and re-victinmizing the affected families.

May 6, 2020
  • Francisco (Patxi) Cervera states to Global Edmonton
    • The cost of that canceled tournament is Spain, ate up its funds.
      • *Again, what about the hundreds of thousands of dollars of camp and academy dees that were paid to them?*
    • "We're not disappearing or running away to the money. What we're trying to do is to liquidate the company and return as much money as possible to the affected people."
      • *Note: See April 29, 2020*
      • Liquidate the company - how many soccer balls, pinnies and orange cones do they have? We are assuming, not millions of dollars worth.
May 12, 2020
  • BCN Sports emails Australian clients.
    • we are forced to stop our operations, and given the position of the company we intend to file for voluntary insolvency"
      • *Note - It took another 12 days to realize they were insolvent across the entire academy operation? Who does their accounting? Did they forget what "set" of books they were looking at?

May 25, 2020
  • Status of Cervera(C) & Tung(T) Ventures
    • BCN Sports (C&T)
      •  website "About Us" bios are removed. No contact information
      • Facebook page has been removed
    • Barca Academy Canada (C&T)
      •  All websites have been taken down
      • All Facebook pages have been removed
    • Avanza Sports (C&T)
      • website pages, except the home page, are no longer available. There is no contact information
    • Real Madrid Foundation Clinics U.SA. (C&T)
      • Facebook page has been deleted
    • Atlas Sports Management (C)
      • Active
    • Premier Academy League (C)
      • Active
  • As pressure mounts on Cervera's and Tung's operations, their presence on the web and social media is diminishing. On May 6, Mr. Cervera was quoted "We are not disappearing"...their actions indicate otherwise.

June 03, 2020
  • A BCN employee states to the Sydney Morning Herald in an interview that "there was a genuine will from the company to see all money returned to parents."
    • *Note - BCN Sports has challenged charge disputes parents have filed with their credit card company; their 'genuine will' seems willfully disingenuous.
  • The same employee states "much of the academy's equipment and uniforms have been donated to local charities"
    • *Note - On May 6, Mr. Cervera is quoted as saying "we're trying to do is to liquidate the company and return as much money as possible" - how do you liquidate assets when you have given them away? Also, giving away assets while you are claiming insolvency could be considered a fraudulent conveyance and may be found to be an illegal activity.

June 4, 2020
  • Atlas Sports Management (Premier Academy League) files changes to it's organizational details, removing Francisco Cervera as a director and removing BCN Sports ANZ as a 50% shareholder.
    • *Note - BCN Sports has not identified a trustee in Canada or Australia. If BCN Sports is liquidating assets without a trustee after declaring they were insolvent, one could ask if that may be a fraudulent conveyance??




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