10 Feb 2011

Fans sue NFL over botched seating at Super Bowl

6:51 am on 10 February 2011

Angry American Football football fans have sued the National Football League and the Dallas Cowboys, saying they were denied seats to Monday's Super Bowl despite having paid thousands of dollars for tickets.

The lawsuit was filed after the league admitted to mistakes that left about 400 paying fans unable to watch the Super Bowl in person -- or able to see the field only on TV screens -- and other Cowboys' season ticket-holders watching from temporary metal chairs with obstructed views.

Fans filed the lawsuit in the federal court in Dallas, accusing the league and team with breach of contract, fraud and deceptive trade practices.

They are seeking class-action status, more than 7 million dollars of damages and unspecified punitive damages.

In the game, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 before more than 103,000 people at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The day after the league invited the 400 affected fans who paid for tickets but did not get a seat at the game to a future Super Bowl of their choice.

It also offered the choice of a cash payment of around 3 thousand dollars -- three times the face value of the ticket -- or round-trip airfare and a hotel.

Many shut-out fans paid above face value for the tickets, according to the lawsuit.