A legal fight between the the former head coach of Langley FC and the soccer team’s ownership has been resolved with a confidential settlement. A joint statement was issued on Thursday, May 28 between former coach Afshin Ghotbi, SixFive Sports & Entertainment, and Dean Shillington, SixFive’s managing director. The statement said the parties “confirm that they have settled their litigation, reaching an amicable resolution of the outstanding claims between them.” “I’m satisfied that we’ve reached a resolution, and I wish Vancouver FC and the fans
continued success,” Ghotbi said in the statement. “We’re glad to have reached an agreement. Afshin made a meaningful contribution to this club and we wish him well,” said Shillington. Ghotbi originally sued SixFive in December 2025. His lawsuit alleged that he loaned $500,000 to the Canadian Premier League Team, which plays out of the Langley Events Centre’s soccer facility, in the summer of 2023. When the coach and team parted ways in 2025, he asked for the loan back and was allegedly told that there
were other creditors ahead of him in line. The company, in its initial legal response, alleged that Ghotbi should have known that other creditors were ahead of him in line to get their money. SixFive and Shillington launched a counterclaim against Ghotbi, claiming abuse of process and breach of confidentiality. None of the allegations was ever tested in court, and with the confidential settlement in place, the lawsuits have come to an end.
Vancouver FC, Afshin Ghotbi, SixFive Sports & Entertainment, Dean Shillington, Langley FC, confidential settlement, $500,000 loan, Canadian Premier League, Langley Events Centre
Confidential settlement always means someone got paid and everyone pretends it’s peaceful.
So he loaned $500k and then they acted like other creditors were ahead? That sounds like bad management to me. Also why would they even have confidentiality if it was legit?
Wait I’m confused—did the coach sue because he didn’t get paid back, or because the club is lying about who’s supposed to be paid first? The headline says “coach legal fight” but it sounds like ownership fought back and now it’s all settled. Confidential settlement just feels like a cop-out.
I don’t trust “confidential” stuff. Like if it was all fine they wouldn’t need to hide anything right? And $500,000 is huge, so I’m sure the fans are the ones who get left out. I bet this is why local soccer always feels messy behind the scenes, even at the Langley Events Centre.