The Rayo Vallecano squad raised their voices this Friday to lament the situation generated by the confrontation between the club and the Community of Madrid regarding the Vallecas stadium, following the decision of the Executive led by Isabel Díaz Ayuso to terminate the lease contract of the venue with the franjirroja entity. And they did so by sharing blame equally. “This could have been avoided,” says the text, which criticizes both parties in conflict. For years, the players recall, the fans have been denouncing, through videos, images, and testimonies, the deterioration of Rayo’s facilities. According to the first team squad, those warnings “did not receive the attention they deserved from the Community of Madrid and Rayo Vallecano,” which has led to the current crisis. The Community of Madrid claims that the termination of the contract was necessary after detecting serious safety deficiencies in the facilities and the imperative need to carry out renovations.
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— Óscar Valentín (@OscarValentin94) July 31, 2026
Through a statement read by the captain, Óscar Valentín, the players demanded “respect” for an entity born in 1924 and for its loyal fans from a neighborhood as attached to its club as Vallecas is. “The first team squad of Rayo Vallecano wants to express, above all, their desire and will to continue playing in Vallecas, alongside our people and in our stadium.” The players emphasized that competing as hosts in front of their fans “is a fundamental part of what it means to wear this shirt.”
“Today we face the consequences. A stadium in decline, with obsolete facilities and clearly insufficient maintenance, has ended up leading us to a situation that should never have occurred. Because this did not happen overnight. This could have been avoided,” they denounced. To this day, no one knows where the match against Alavés, corresponding to the second league matchday, on August 20, the first home game of Rayo this season, will be played.
For this reason, the players also focused on the fans, whom they consider the main victims of the situation and who during these days are renewing their season tickets without knowing where they will see their team, if they can at all. “This situation directly affects our people. Thousands of fans who every fifteen days fill Vallecas with the sole intention of cheering for Rayo Vallecano and who deserve to do so with all safety guarantees and in facilities fitting the history of this club,” they pointed out. Likewise, the squad demanded “stability and calm to continue competing and proudly representing this badge” and asked for “respect” for a club and a fanbase “with more than 100 years of history.”
The statement comes amid an institutional conflict over the immediate future of the stadium. The Community of Madrid tried both Wednesday and Thursday to access the venue. But the technicians sent by them could not enter to start the planned emergency works as they found the doors closed. Faced with Rayo’s refusal, the Community filed a complaint. And 72 hours after the crisis began, the club president, Raúl Martín Presa, remains silent.
Alternatives to the Vallecas Stadium
The lack of explanations exasperates all Rayo supporters. The main question is where Rayo will play. The problems recall those of last season, when the match that Rayo was to play in Vallecas against Real Oviedo was suspended due to the poor condition of the pitch. In the following home matchday, the team had to move to Leganés to host Atlético de Madrid. The scenario now is, however, different, as the Community of Madrid estimates a timeframe ranging between two and six months. Rayo has at least asked Leganés and Valladolid, according to this newspaper, and in both cases they are studying it. But other stadiums could also be considered, such as Burgos, 240 kilometers from Vallecas, or Albacete, 255 kilometers away, according to Cadena SER.
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