La Liga suspend clash hours before kick-off following Rayo Vallecano player statement

Madrid – Spanish football was thrown into late turmoil on Saturday when La Liga officially suspended the 14:00 CEST fixture between Real Oviedo and Rayo Vallecano less than four hours before the teams were due to walk out at the Estadio de Vallecas.

The league’s statement cited “persistent rain forecast for this afternoon and the accumulation of weather-related issues this week” as the decisive factor, adding that the pitch “is not in a playable state.” Marca had earlier reported that the playing surface had already been labelled unfit by manager Iñigo Pérez and several squad members.

The eleventh-hour cancellation followed a strongly-worded communiqué released by the Rayo Vallecano squad on Friday night. Signed by every first-team player and backed by the coaching staff and the Spanish Players’ Association (AFE), the document denounced “unstable and clearly deficient” working conditions, headlined by the state of the pitch. Players also criticised training facilities, fan treatment and broader stadium infrastructure, stressing that repeated complaints to club president Raúl Martín Presa had gone unaddressed. “It can no longer be prolonged,” the statement warned, “as we see our physical safety and basic working conditions in danger.”

Presa, who has long argued that Vallecas is unsustainable and is lobbying for a new stadium elsewhere, has seen relations sour with both supporters and the dressing room. Fans, determined to keep the club in its traditional neighbourhood, have vocally opposed relocation plans, while the president’s reluctance to invest in current facilities has intensified tensions.

Real Oviedo, informed of the suspension only hours beforehand, issued their own response, expressing “solidarity and empathy” with Rayo’s players, staff and supporters and acknowledging that player safety had been prioritised. Nevertheless, the Asturian club indicated they are “studying possible legal action,” claiming the late postponement places them “at a clear competitive disadvantage.”

La Liga has yet to announce a revised date for the encounter, leaving both clubs—and their supporters—waiting for clarity amid a deepening stand-off over standards at one of Spanish football’s most storied neighbourhood grounds.