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Belgian football fans lodge class-action lawsuit over World Cup accommodation

Xinhua, October 26, 2015 Adjust font size:

A class action lawsuit will be heard in a Belgian court in 2018, relating to a complaint from football supporters at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Some 200 supporters have added their names to the group litigation, and a brief court hearing on Oct. 23 set a schedule of legal exchanges leading up to a court trial on Jan. 25, 2018, the Belgian newspaper group Sudpresse reported.

The case has been brought by consumer watchdog Test-Achats against the Belgian Football Union and tour operator Sun Reizen.

The complaint centered on a holiday camp called DeVillage, which was set up to accommodate Belgian football fans during last year's World Cup in Brazil.

The plaintiffs alleged that the conditions at the camp were unacceptable with poor sanitary facilities and frequent power cuts.

Sudpresse reported that the Belgian Football Union had offered a 50 euro (55 U.S. dollars) per night payment and a free ticket to a Euro 2016 qualifying match as compensation.

Test-Achats and the 200 claimants are demanding a full refund, the newspaper report added. Enditem