An ongoing saga surrounding Rayo Vallecano’s cult Vallecas stadium has led to the postponement of their match against Real Oviedo.
A battle between the club’s supporters and unpopular president Raúl Martín Presa has seen the later calling for a move from the club’s spiritual home.
Yet with the fans completely opposed, the team are now stuck in the middle, and have chosen to call out the president, saying the poor conditions have been brought to his attention in the past.
This week the pitch was relayed, but LaLiga have deemed it not good enough and suspended Saturday’s match against Oviedo.
In response, the players released a statement detailing their conflict via the Spanish footballer’s association.
The players’ statement
They wrote: “The players of the Rayo Vallecano first team, with the support of the coaching staff, wish to clearly, jointly and responsibly convey, through the Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE), a series of facts that we consider necessary to explain for the good of the club.
“The Rayo Vallecano fans are a fundamental pillar and one of the club’s greatest assets. Their loyalty, commitment, and constant support, regardless of the circumstances, are truly admirable. We firmly believe that these fans deserve greater care and consideration, befitting what they represent for Rayo Vallecano’s identity and history.
“During the preseason, the squad was unable to train at our Sports City for nearly three months due to the poor condition of the fields, forcing us to leave the facilities to train on a field that met the necessary conditions to perform our work professionally.
“This situation, prolonged over time, directly affected daily work, planning and the normality required by a professional First Division team.
“Months later, and due to the weather, it was not possible to train on our training field, having to find a solution by training on a synthetic turf field outside the facilities due to the poor condition of the ones in our Sports City.
“In the last month, the state of the grass at the Vallecas Stadium has been clearly deficient, a situation that has worsened with each passing week and has been reflected both in previous matches and in the situation experienced today, just hours before playing another official match.
“We believe that the playing field does not meet the minimum requirements to play a top-level match.
“This situation is compounded by deficiencies in the facilities we use daily, such as the lack of hot water in the showers on certain days, cleaning that has not always been adequate, and outdated facilities that do not meet the standards required by a top-flight club for proper professional performance.
“We wish to emphasize that all of these points have been previously brought to the attention of the club’s president on several occasions. However, the solutions promised and the explanations received so far have not effectively resolved a situation that we believe cannot continue any longer, as we see our physical safety and basic working conditions at risk.
“This statement is not intended to create conflict or divert attention from the match we are playing this Saturday, the sporting importance of which we approach with complete professionalism and commitment. The squad and coaching staff are fully focused on competing and defending the Rayo Vallecano badge, aware that we bear the ultimate responsibility for the current sporting situation.
“Precisely because of this commitment, we believe the time has come to publicly state that this situation must change. Providing decent working conditions and caring for an exemplary fanbase is not an extraordinary requirement, but a basic responsibility of a club that competes in the First Division.
“We trust that this statement will help us move forward and improve, for the benefit of the club, its professionals and its fans.
“Finally, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to AFE for their constant and committed work, as well as for always being attentive to the well-being and defense of the labor rights of footballers.”
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