Vallecas punished: partial closure and the Rayo-Athletic match still has no date

Rayo Vallecano

The Rayo Vallecano will pay 6,000 euros and will have to close part of its stadium during a match following the incidents that led to the suspension of the clash against the Athletic Club. In addition, the RFEF has issued a clear warning: if the incidents are repeated, it could order the full closure of Vallecas.

The sanction affects the stand located above the dressing-room area, which will be without spectators for the next home match against Elche. The Disciplinary Committee believes that this section was the source of the projectiles that caused the second stoppage of the match.

The protest against the club president, Raúl Martín Presa, ended up having sporting and financial consequences. Fans threw paper planes and small rubber balls onto the pitch. Despite attempts to remove the objects and restart the game, referee Sánchez Martínez decided to suspend it definitively after several plastic bottles were also thrown.

The referee's report

The official recorded that the objects did not hit any person. However, the National Police said it could not guarantee the safety conditions needed to continue the match.

The disciplinary ruling does not close another front: the outcome of Rayo-Athletic. There were 20 minutes and 44 seconds of stoppage time left, in addition to at least ten minutes of added time. It will now be the Competition's Single Judge who decides whether the match is resumed and under what conditions, with the possibility of doing so still being on the table behind closed doors.

Rayo will have to serve the sanction and face the next league fixture in Vallecas with part of the stand empty. The RFEF warning adds pressure to a club that is still embroiled in a dispute with part of its supporters.