Rayo fans force abandonment! Edin Terzic's away match with Athletic Bilbao in Madrid ends after not even half an hour

In protest against the club’s hierarchy, supporters of the Madrid club Rayo Vallecano pelted the pitch with projectiles. After an initial stoppage, the match was eventually abandoned altogether.

After 13 minutes, paper planes, paper balls and huge numbers of bouncy balls rained down from the stands on to the pitch. Rayo Vallecano supporters were making their anger with the club's leadership clear.

"Presa, leave now!" read the signs fans held aloft. Raul Martin Presa is Rayo's president, and that was the message.

Referee Jose Maria Sanchez first suspended the match for several minutes. During the stoppage, Rayo and Athletic Bilbao, along with former Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic, stayed in the inner area of the Campo de Futbol de Vallecas while stewards cleared the pitch.

Then, only a few minutes after play resumed, it happened again with the score at 0-0. Sanchez stopped the game for a second time and, after consulting the captains of both teams and officials, decided to abandon the match.

What criticism are the Rayo Vallecano fans making?

A statement from the organised fan scene of the Madrid club, published via X after the match was abandoned, explained the protest against the club leadership around Presa and contains numerous allegations. In the statement, the events in Vallecas were framed as the result of years of frustration over the state of the facilities, the club's leadership and the row over the stadium concession, which forced the team to play their first home matches at Butarque.

In July, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sport ruled that Rayo would have to move the first three matches of the new LaLiga season to another stadium because of serious safety deficiencies at their current ground.

Later in the statement, the fans describe the situation as "untenable" and announce further measures: "The Rayo fans will not allow this."

As for the season so far, both teams have made mixed starts. Rayo are 13th with two wins and two draws from three defeats. Terzic and Bilbao are unbeaten in their last four matches (2W, 2D). The Basques, currently in 10th place, had lost their first two games.