The La Liga fixture between Rayo Vallecano and Athletic Bilbao at the Estadio de Vallecas was officially abandoned on Saturday (October 10, 2026) after relentless fan protests against club president Raúl Martín Presa forced match officials to call off the game.
Frustrated by years of poor stadium maintenance, health and safety risks, and a lack of modern ticketing infrastructure, Rayo supporters staged a high-profile demonstration during their first home match of the season in front of their own fans.
Having been forced to play their opening three home matches away at Leganés due to licensing issues and health hazards—including Legionnaires' disease concerns and structural decay—fans turned out in force to demand Presa's immediate resignation. In the 13th minute of the scoreless match, supporters chanted "Presa, go now!" while raining paper airplanes and small rubber balls onto the pitch.
Although the referee briefly suspended the match for 15 minutes while groundstaff cleared the field, protests immediately resumed upon restart, leaving officials no choice but to abandon the fixture entirely. In the aftermath, Athletic Bilbao announced they would fully refund traveling fans who made the trip to Madrid.
— Daily Best News Desk • Fearless in the search for truth
Reported by Sports Desk • Edited by the Daily Best News desk. Send corrections to [email protected].
