The La Liga match between Rayo Vallecano and Athletic Club at the Estadio de Vallecas on October 10, 2026, was definitively suspended in the 14th minute after home supporters launched paper airplanes and plastic balls onto the pitch in protest against club president Raúl Martín Presa.
Protest Halts Match in the First Half
The fixture kicked off at 2:00 PM local time in Madrid, marking Rayo Vallecano’s long-awaited return to their home stadium. Play proceeded until the 13th minute, when Athletic Club prepared to take a corner kick. At that moment, supporters in the stands deployed a large banner reading Presa, the ball is in your court
and initiated a wave of thrown objects, according to match reports. Referee José María Sánchez Martínez immediately halted the contest.
Stadium workers spent approximately ten minutes clearing hundreds of paper airplanes, rubber balls, and leaflets from the turf while players waited on the field. The paper planes carried printed communications demanding the immediate resignation of President Presa, whom supporters claimed had driven club management to a point of no return. Senior Rayo squad members, including Isi Palazón and Óscar Valentín, walked over to the grandstands to plead with fans to halt the barrage so the game could resume.
Multiple Stoppages Lead to Final Abandonment
Following the initial cleanup, the referee briefly restarted the match. However, additional paper objects immediately rained down near one of the goals, prompting Sánchez Martínez to send both teams back to the dressing rooms. A stadium public address announcement indicated the match would resume ten minutes later at 2:42 PM, and play briefly restarted at 2:45 PM after police and additional venue staff secured the perimeter.
The respite lasted only seconds. The home supporters’ animation section launched a third wave of debris onto the playing surface. Confronted with the ongoing disruption, referee Sánchez Martínez summoned Rayo manager Beñat San José and Athletic coach Edin Terzic to the pitch before making the definitive decision to abandon the fixture under La Liga protocol.
Stall and Stadium Context Behind the Tensions
The confrontation capped months of institutional friction between supporters and the club’s leadership. The fixture was Rayo Vallecano’s first home match of the season at Vallecas following a prolonged closure. On July 28, the regional government of Madrid issued an order revoking the stadium’s use concession after an audit initiated in October revealed severe deficiencies in structural safety, sanitation, and general maintenance.
That administrative order forced Rayo to play their early-season home fixtures away at Leganés’ Estadio Municipal de Butarque. Though the Comunidad de Madrid lifted the preventive suspension nearly 150 days later to allow the Athletic fixture to proceed, the underlying governance disputes boiled over into the stands immediately upon the club’s homecoming.
Next Steps and Disciplinary Review
With the match officially abandoned in the first half with the score at 0-0, the encounter now passes to La Liga’s competition committee and disciplinary bodies to determine sanctions, rescheduling protocols, or administrative rulings. Neither Rayo Vallecano nor Athletic Club announced immediate statements regarding a rescheduled date or sporting penalties following the abandonment.
