Rayo Vallecano fans protest against club president and force suspension of La Liga game

MADRID — Rayo Vallecano supporters stopped their team’s La Liga match against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday by throwing paper airplanes and other objects onto the field, forcing the game to be suspended.

The fans, unhappy with club owner and president Raúl Martín Presa, first forced the match to stop in the 13th minute with the score 0-0. The paper airplanes flew from all three sides of the ground as fans cheered and some held scarves saying, “Presa, leave now.” Rayo's dilapidated stadium has a wall behind one of the goals, meaning fans can occupy only three sides. The stadium announcer said seven minutes later that the game would be suspended if the protests continued. It resumed in the 24th, but was stopped again shortly afterward. The players and officials left the field, and the fans chanted against Presa.

Rayo players Óscar Valentín and Isi Palazón spoke with members of the Bukaneros “ultras” — hardcore fans — behind the other goal, where many of the objects including small rubber balls were coming from.

Both teams returned to the field and warmed up and resumed playing after a 10-minute break. But the game was stopped again just seconds later, it seemed, when more objects were thrown on the field.

The referee spoke with police, the teams’ coaches and officials in the center of the field. He then signaled the teams to leave the field.

“The referee has decided to suspend the match at the recommendation of the police,” Rayo said in a social media post.

Rayo fans reacted with applause. The Bilbao players applauded their fans. Many of the visiting supporters were also among the Rayo fans.

Rayo's homecoming

It was Rayo’s first league game of the season at home in the left-wing Madrid neighborhood of Vallecas (spelled Vallekas by fans). City authorities closed the stadium over safety concerns and forced Rayo to play its three previous home games in another neighborhood, Leganés. The local government revoked the club’s stadium license because of alleged unsafe conditions. Most of the Rayo fans boycotted the games in Leganés.

Rayo fans also chanted against Presa during a friendly match at the stadium last week and graffiti saying “Presa, leave now” appeared on the presidential box.

Presa has long been unpopular among the Rayo fans since taking over the club in 2011.

Mariano de Paco, the region’s minister for sports, called for calm the day before the match, adding in a social media post that “Rayo will get the stadium it deserves. Have faith.”

It is expected the game against Bilbao will be replayed at a later date. However, more protests are likely. Rayo's next home game is against Elche on Oct. 24.

Bukaneros say protests will continue

The Bukaneros issued a statement later Saturday saying the protests were the culmination of the “frustration and anger felt by thousands of season-ticket holders after years of disastrous management by Raúl Martín Presa.”

It said the city authorities’ summer decision to revoke the stadium license, forcing the team into exile, was the “final straw” after a litany of issues, including "putting the safety and health of 15,000 people at risk every fortnight.”

“That is why we will continue to protest,” the Bukaneros said. "It is evident that a change of course is needed. Vallekas needs it. Rayo needs it. The strain, instability, and discontent are undeniable in the daily lives of the fans, the dressing room, and the offices, directly affecting those who keep the organization running.”

The Associated Press has asked the club for comment.