Rayo Vallecano fans are known for being one of the most conscious social voices in Spain, and on Sunday it was raised again – and once again, in the face of President Raul Martin Presa.
Presa hinted recently that he was keen for Rayo to move stadiums from their Vallecas ground that has been in use since the 1950s, and is located in the heart of the neighbourhood where their fans are located.
Ahead of their 1-1 draw with Los Blancos, Presa told Movistar+, as carried by Cadena Cope, that the stadium was ‘too small for us’, and that in order for them to have a ‘Rayo-Liverpool next year’, as the song goes regarding potential European qualification, they must ‘we must grow.’
🗣️ "Este es nuestro estadio, no nos moverán"
⚡️ Así responde la grada de Bukaneros a la polémica del estadio de Vallecas pic.twitter.com/AH1EHmxRmW
— Tiempo de Juego (@tjcope) February 18, 2024
Presa and Madrid Mayor Isabel Diaz Ayuso appear to be on good terms, and are advocating for a move – the current ground is likely to be sold off for private housing, which is has created a backlash from the Rayo fanbase.
Against Real Madrid, the singing section held up signs saying ‘Vallekas is our stadium, they will not move us’ in protest, as well as singing songs to the same effect.
The controversial president also invited far-right VOX politician Rocio Monasterio to his private box, and she received plenty of attention from the fans too. ‘Monasterio, daughter of a b****’ rang out around Vallecas in response, with Monasterio trying to quiet the crowd.
¡Fuera fascistas de nuestro barrio! #Vallecas #ADRV1924 pic.twitter.com/lKIlLrUdE6
— Fernando Sebastián (@FernandoSebas73) February 18, 2024
This is not the first time the presence of VOX members has caused controversy, as leader Santiago Abascal sat with Presa while pandemic measures were still in place. The Bukaneros ultra group responded by appearing at the stadium in hazardous material suits in order to ‘disinfect it’.
