Rayo Vallecano's La Liga match against Athletic Bilbao was abandoned on Saturday after ultras launched paper planes onto the pitch while protesting against the club's owners. The game at the Estadio de Vallecas was stopped 13 minutes in, with the score at 0-0, as paper planes were thrown from the stands onto the turf.
Protest against owner
It was Rayo's first home game of the season after their stadium was found to have serious safety issues. Fans blame owner Raul Martin Presa for the negligence and used the match to voice their frustration.
Play was halted for ten minutes while officials cleared the playing surface. An in-game announcement then warned supporters about similar actions. Rayo players Oscar Valentín and Isi Palazon addressed the ultras, urging them to stop as their actions could get the game suspended.
Match called off
Once play resumed, more planes were thrown onto the pitch. After speaking with police and both teams, the decision was made to abandon the game. Rayo confirmed on X: "The match is definitely suspended by the referee’s decision at the police’s recommendation."
Bilbao added: "The match has been abandoned following further incidents of objects being thrown onto the pitch."
La Liga response
La Liga said in a statement: "La Liga strongly condemns this behaviour, which endangers safety and obstructs the normal running of the competition. The new date for the match will be announced soon."
The stadium has had problems this calendar year. In February, a clash with Real Oviedo was postponed due to concerns over player safety because of the state of the pitch. The following week, the match against Atletico Madrid was moved to Butarque.
