Rayo's Vallecas homecoming lasts 13 minutes before paper-plane protest stops play
Rayo Vallecano waited 147 days to come home. The homecoming lasted 13 minutes.
Their LaLiga match, in Spain's top flight, against Athletic Club at Vallecas on Saturday was stopped in the first half and then abandoned after home supporters filled the pitch with paper planes. It was Rayo's first league game back at their own ground since May. The Guardian
Hundreds of planes landed on the grass and play could not continue. Home fans also threw rubber balls onto the pitch during the protest, leaving ground staff with no chance of clearing the surface quickly. BBC Sport
The protest was directed at Rayo president Raúl Martín Presa. Supporters are calling for him to leave the club, and they chose the return to Vallecas to make that demand. The Guardian
Rayo had been away from Vallecas for five months. Their last league game there before Saturday was a victory over Villarreal in May.
The absence began in late July, when the Madrid government suspended the agreement that allows Rayo to use the Vallecas ground for 81,784 euros a year. Rayo were forced to play three home games 20km to the south, in front of small crowds. The attendances were 4,280 against Alavés, 4,529 against Racing and 3,742 against Espanyol. The Guardian
For fans, that contrast matters. Vallecas is Rayo's identity, a small stadium where the stands sit right on top of the pitch. Playing so far away, in front of a few thousand people, never felt like home.
What makes this stand out is the method of protest. There was no pitch invasion. There were no clashes. Just paper drifting down from the stands, sheet after sheet, until the referee had no option but to take the players off. It was simple, peaceful and completely disruptive.
For anyone new to this story, the football quickly became secondary. After 13 minutes of action, the result did not matter. The story was the stadium, the president, and supporters determined to be heard on the day they finally came home.
