Rayo Vallecano's La Liga match against Athletic Club was abandoned on Saturday after home supporters repeatedly threw paper planes, small rubber balls and other objects onto the pitch at the Estadio de Vallecas in protest against club owner and president Raúl Martín Presa. The game was goalless and only around 14 minutes had been played.
LaLiga said the matchday eight fixture had been "suspended by the referee's decision following the repeated throwing of objects onto the field of play", and that it "strongly condemns this type of behaviour, which endangers safety and makes the normal development of the competition impossible". A new date and time will be announced.
How the game was called off
The protest had been planned. Fans in the stands chanted against Presa from before kick-off, which was at 13:00 UK, and held up scarves calling on him to go. In the 13th minute, the point at which Rayo supporters traditionally sing for Presa to leave, paper planes made from protest leaflets and hundreds of small rubber balls rained onto the pitch.
Referee José María Sánchez Martínez stopped play while staff cleared the grass, and the stadium announcer urged fans not to throw anything else. Play restarted, but more objects came from the south stand, and the referee sent both teams to the dressing rooms. Fans were warned over the public address that a repeat would end the match.
Athletic said play resumed after a 10-minute break. Within seconds more objects, including plastic bottles according to the referee's report quoted by AS, landed on the pitch. In that report, Sánchez Martínez wrote that the National Police security coordinator told him that the safety conditions needed to continue could not be ensured. After speaking with both captains and coaches, he called the game off. Rayo confirmed on social media that the match had been "definitively suspended by the referee's decision at the police's recommendation".
Why Rayo fans are protesting
Saturday's game was Rayo's first league match of the season at Vallecas. The Community of Madrid, which owns the stadium, temporarily closed it in the summer after finding serious maintenance, health and safety problems, and Rayo played their first three home games at Leganés' Butarque stadium.
Supporters blame Presa for the state of the club's facilities. According to Reuters, Presa has accused the regional authorities of targeting the club. The Rayo Vallecano supporters' association described the protest as "legitimate and democratic ... necessary and peaceful".
Rayo captain Óscar Valentín, who tried to calm fans with team-mate Isi Palazón after the game was called off, wrote on social media that "an unsustainable situation had reached its limit". He added: "It is necessary to listen to and understand the discontent of our fans."
What happens next
Athletic said LaLiga had told them the game could not be completed on Saturday or Sunday, and the squad flew back to Bilbao. The club will contact supporters who bought tickets through Athletic to arrange refunds.
The Spanish football federation's Competition Committee will now examine the incidents. AS reports that, under the federation's disciplinary code, Rayo could be fined and have Vallecas fully or partly closed for one to three matches. According to AS, the rest of the game will not be played until that ruling is made. El Correo reports that it is likely to be completed behind closed doors.
Rayo, who reached last season's Conference League final, are 13th in La Liga with two wins from their opening seven games.