Rayo Vallecano have been told they won’t be able to use their cult Vallecas Stadium this season.
In a shocking announcement, the Madrid Regional Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sport announced the suspension of Rayo’s concessions for the arena.
The decision was made on safety grounds, with Rayo seeing matches during the 2025/26 season suspended over flooding.
Rayo Vallecano kicked out of Vallecas stadium over safety
According to the audit report commissioned by the Community of Madrid a “situation of widespread obsolescence” was found and “severe regulatory non-compliance”.
Rayo had their best season in history despite the problems, making it to the UEFA Conference League final where they narrowly lost to Crystal Palace.
Their 2026/27 campaign gets underway on August 15th.
The opener is scheduled away at Sevilla, before they’re at home to Alaves on the 20th.
Rayo’s president blamed for stadium shambles
Rayo president Raúl Martín Presa has been blamed by fan groups for failing to keep up the stadium, with many claiming it’s an intentional attempt to move them away from Vallecas.
FASFE, the association representing Spanish football fans, has echoed those sentiments in a response to the news.
They called Martin Presa ‘shameful’ adding: “In order to guarantee the survival of our clubs, there should be legal mechanisms of supervision and control that have the power to remove from management owners and managers who endanger the clubs and their fans.”
LaLiga president Javier Tebas has also responded to the news, suggesting Rayo’s first home match won’t be delayed and will take place elsewhere.
He said at an event: “There is still time, and when a club registers for the competition, there is an alternative stadium, and Rayo can play in that alternative stadium or another alternative.
“It is the decision that the regional government has made with its professionals at the helm, and a decision like this, which prioritises safety, cannot be questioned by us.
“We have no say in the matter. Rayo has been assigned a stadium, and it will be up to Rayo to decide which one, but it must meet the conditions we require in professional football.
“They already have one assigned, but it’s not mandatory. They have time to consider other options, but Rayo will certainly play on the weekend of August 14th. I don’t know if they’ll play at home or away, but the competition will definitely begin.”
He finished: “The decision was surely a surprise to them, and we need to give them time. I don’t want to reveal whether they will play at Butarque [alternative stadium].”
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