Vallecas became the centre of a dispute that had been brewing since the weekend, as Rayo Vallecano’s home match with Athletic Club was abandoned after repeated protests against club owner and president Raúl Martín Presa sent paper objects onto the pitch.
A planned protest behind Unai Simón’s goal
The match began at 14:00 but was first interrupted in the 13th minute, when Athletic were preparing to take a corner. Supporters in the stand behind the goal defended by Unai Simón threw small plastic balls and paper aeroplanes towards the field.
The demonstration had been organised in advance. Messages aimed at Presa had been written on the paper planes, while a banner in the stands read: “Presa, the ball is on your roof.”
- Referee Sánchez Martínez immediately stopped play after the first objects landed on the pitch.
- The corner was eventually taken after the initial pause, with Yuri sending his attempt wide.
- Objects continued to be thrown, leading the referee to send both teams to the dressing rooms at 14:27 under the applicable match-interruption protocol.
A brief restart ends in abandonment
Play resumed at 14:43, more than half an hour after the first stoppage. A stadium announcement warned that any further projectiles would bring a definitive halt to the afternoon.
That warning was quickly borne out. More objects fell onto the grass shortly after the restart and Sánchez Martínez stopped the contest again. He summoned captains Álvaro García and Iñaki Williams, along with coaches Beñat San José and Edin Terzic, to explain that the game would not continue.
The fixture was subsequently abandoned at around 15:00.
- Athletic’s players acknowledged their sizeable travelling support before heading inside.
- Mikel Jauregizar remained on the pitch for a time after the decision.
- Edin Terzic spoke on the field with Mikel González and first-team delegate Sendoa Aguirre.
- The Athletic squad began boarding its return coach at approximately 15:30.
Another disrupted afternoon for Athletic
Athletic returned to their team hotel while awaiting a decision on whether the Vallecas fixture could be played the following day or would require a new date. Their charter flight back to Bilbao had been due to leave at 18:00.
The atmosphere had already been uneasy at the ground. During Saturday’s Vallecas Trophy meeting between Rayo and Cagliari, anti-Presa graffiti appeared at the stadium and there was an attempted incursion into the directors’ area. Further protest on matchday had been anticipated, although not an abandonment.
It is the second Athletic fixture to be called off early in the season. Their game against Levante, originally scheduled for 16 September, was postponed after severe rain hit Valencia and left Levante’s playing surface unfit. That match has been set for Wednesday, 21 October.
