Vancouver Whitecaps Fans Fill Virtual BC Place to Support Belal Halbouni After Cancer Diagnosis
The Whitecaps defender announced his battle with cancer, and one fan has put together an initiative to allow fans to send him their support in a unique way.
The outpouring of support across the world of soccer has been ample for Vancouver Whitecaps defender Belal Halbouni, after the 26-year-old announced that he was battling Hodgkin's lymphoma. Yet, the cheers from home fans have been the loudest.
Vancouver’s starting lineup held up Halbouni’s jersey in their pre-match photo ahead of a 2-0 win over CF Montreal to close out the MLS regular season and clinch No. 2 in the overall table, before a local fan launched a project in support of Halbouni.
The site, launched by AI and software engineer Angus Hardy-Francis, lets Whitecaps supporters send a message to Halbouni amid his battle and places it as a seat inside a virtually built BC Place Stadium, with space for 54,000 messages.
Within eight hours of the launch, 266 messages had already been posted. It comes as the latest spell of support, after the club extended Halbouni on an MLS contract through the 2027 MLS Sprint Season and the 2027-28 season, without clarity on when he could return to play.
“As a club, we have made the decision to support Belal throughout this difficult process by providing him with stability, security, and peace of mind, while also giving him a positive goal to work toward: his return to the training field and to playing in MLS,” Whitecaps CEO and sporting director Axel Schuster told Postmedia after the contract and cancer diagnosis were announced.
“We will be here for him every step of the way, and we look forward to welcoming him back when the time is right,” he added in a team statement.
FILL OUT A MESSAGE AT VIRTUAL BC PLACE
Massive Support Across Instagram, Virtual BC Place
The new virtual stadium project follows an outpouring of support in the comments section of Halbouni’s Instagram post, which announced his battle to the world alongside the club’s message.
“Hey Billy, ever since I met you in Vancouver, I’ve known you as someone who always finds a way, no matter how tough things get,” German superstar Thomas Müller posted. “And I know this time will be no different.”
Nearly every member of the Canadian men’s national team and Whitecaps roster also posted their support, including Ismaël Koné, Atiba Hutchinson, Theo Bair, Ali Ahmed and Sebastian Berhalter, among others, joined by NBA legend and Whitecaps co-owner, Steve Nash.
On the virtual stadium, though, the messages have been deeper, including one from a children’s cancer doctor, Dr. Rod:
“As someone who treats kids with cancer (including some amazing teens with Hodgkin Lymphoma), let me say to you that you got this,” Rod said. “Cancer changes people- mostly, it brings out the best in people and shows them how strong they truly are. You will be back on the pitch stronger than ever next year”
While Halbouni undergoes treatment in his hometown of London, Ont., the Whitecaps will have him front of mind as they chase the club’s first MLS Cup, starting with Game 1 of the first-round best-of-three series against either the Seattle Sounders or Real Salt Lake on Nov. 22 at BC Place.
