Rayo fumes after Vallecas chaos: says incident was “meticulously planned”

Rayo Vallecano has strongly condemned what happened during their first return to Estadio de Vallecas this season: the crowd threw paper airplanes and plastic balls, leading the referee to suspend the match against Athletic Club Bilbao in the 13th minute. In a statement, the club insists it wasn’t random trouble, but “previously devised and planned” actions by an organized group.

Protest, warnings, and a stoppage

The club says it tried repeatedly to stop the incident by using stadium loudspeakers and the video scoreboard, and by sending volunteers and ball-collectors to pick up the objects thrown onto the pitch. Rayo claims the behavior happened up to three times despite warnings, and that even club captains and officials went down to the corner/fond to ask for the actions to stop.

“Meticulously planned” and previous episodes

Rayo also points to the failed attempt to storm the box by members of the ultra group Bukaneros a week earlier. The club says it warned the Government Delegation, the National Police, the Municipal Police and LaLiga’s security team about the risk of hostility, and that this week those communications were also reported to the National Police. According to the statement, the National Police told the referee to suspend the match definitively because safety conditions could not be guaranteed. Rayo adds that the club claims there was coordination and logistics involved, including printed materials and “2 cm spheres.”

Finally, it notes this is the third match in fifteen years in which intolerance from a few has prevented the fans and players from enjoying football, citing Rayo Vallecano–Real Madrid (September 2012) and Rayo Vallecano–Albacete (2019). Source: Mundo Deportivo.