EDMONTON -- An Edmonton parent says he’s one of many who lost hundreds to an international soccer organization that cancelled its programming at the beginning of the pandemic. 

Danny Atkinson says he paid $500 in March to enrol his nine-year-old son in a Barça Academy Edmonton soccer camp this summer.

But shortly after, the program, run by BCN Sports with professional soccer club FC Barcelona, laid off its local directors and announced plans to file for insolvency. 

Atkinson is among dozens he says are looking for answers. 

“You have been out of business more or less since the middle of March. You have no expenses at all, so where is the money that we gave you? What have you done with it?”

BCN SPORTS FILING FOR VOLUNTARY INSOLVENCY 

According to the Edmonton father, his predicament developed over weeks of poor communication and blame-laying by those in charge.

Barça Academy Edmonton notified customers by email on March 13 that spring camps were cancelled due to COVID-19 and a credit could be applied to camps held in either July or 2021. 

Nearly two weeks later, an Edmonton program director called the decision to only offer a credit one they disagree with but said after talking to higher-ups, “sadly I come out empty handed.”

They added that a decision was yet to be made on how to handle registrations for the cancelled tournament in Barcelona. 

BCN Sports would reiterate this the next day, promising families it was talking with FC Barcelona and expecting a decision the next week. 

But two weeks later, another email update was sent — this time informing parents all program directors across Canada had been laid off “as a result to minimize the financial strain on BCN Sports.” It was suggested questions be directed to executives. 

Montreal program director Vincent Robichaud would later make a similar statement: “They have handled their communication badly and they have treated their employees and customers wrongly. I guess that many of you will have questions, and to be honest with you, I know as much as you.”

Then, on April 30, Atkinson said customers heard directly from BCN Sports for the first time since the program cancellations in March: BCN Sports announced the program was being terminated. 

The email says the company has been put in a poor position by pandemic-related cancellations.

“Given the position of the company we intend to file for voluntary insolvency as the best way for orderly closure.” 

According to a May 4 statement by Barça Academy Canada, the decision to close its five locations in the country was made by BCN Sports. 

Barça Academy Canada promised to help ensure BCN assumes “full responsibility, including financial obligations” for the closures. 

FC Barcelona renewed this promise in a statement Monday, even saying it would take legal action if necessary. 

“Futbol Club Barcelona will do everything possible to make sure that BCN Sports reimburses all of the amounts corresponding to inscription fees for cancelled activities... We are not going to abandon you under these circumstances.”

‘WORST POSSIBLE TIME’ 

BCN Sports has told customers creditors who do not receive a refund through their credit card company or PayPal through buyer protection coverage will be protected through the voluntary bankruptcy process, which will see a government-appointed trustee to administer its assets. 

However, Atkinson doesn’t understand where his money has gone. 

“When we asked why, they said they couldn’t afford to give us refunds because they need to pay for other things was the exact things that I got out of BCN Sports,” he said. 

Two hundred people have joined a group he started to voice similar complaints. 

While Atkinson is out $500, he says parents whose children were registered for the tournament in Barcelona are out thousands. 

“I've heard many stories how they've asked for refunds, they’ve heard nothing out of BCN Sports, during the pandemic now, they've lost their jobs,” Atkinson told CTV News Edmonton. 

“This is affecting families in the worst possible way during probably the worst possible time all of us Canadians have been through."

Atkinson and other families are talking to both credit card companies and law enforcement about their options. 

There were also Barça Academy locations in B.C. and Ontario. 

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Adam Cook

Correction:

This article has been edited to correctly attribute certain email communication to an Edmonton program director.