Vallecas will be empty again for the Rayo-Athletic

Rayo’s return to Vallecas was interrupted in the 24th minute, when further objects thrown from the stands made it impossible to continue the match against Athletic.

LaLiga has set Wednesday, 9 December at 20:00 as the date for the outstanding fixture from matchday eight of LaLiga EA Sports. It will be played at Estadio de Vallecas behind closed doors, in line with the sanction imposed on Rayo Vallecano.

On 10 October, the protest against the club president, Raúl Martín Presa, broke out just as Athletic were about to take a corner. With the score at zero and in the 13th minute, balls and paper planes were thrown onto the pitch. A banner directed at Presa carried the message “Presa, la pelota está en tu tejado”.

Referee Sánchez Martínez stopped play and gathered the captains while the objects were cleared. The pause lasted about half an hour and the match resumed at 14:44. The throwing of objects resumed later; on police advice, the referee declared the match definitively suspended in the 24th minute.

The behind-closed-doors sanction was agreed on 16 October by the Juez Único de Competición of the Competiciones Profesionales. During the stoppages, chants of “Presa, vete ya” could be heard. When the suspension was confirmed, the home fans applauded their players and chanted the name of Athletic Club.

The match marked Rayo’s return to their stadium this season, after playing their previous home games at the Butarque stadium in Leganés. The Comunidad de Madrid lifted the provisional suspension of the Vallecas concession on 14 September, which had been ordered to be terminated on 28 July after an audit found deficiencies in safety, hygiene, and maintenance.

In Vallecas, the postponed match will be played on 9 December at 20:00 with the stands empty.