Rayo Vallecano are currently in negotiations with Espanyol for their star forward Raul de Tomas, but those negotiations are nothing if not hard-fought.
The Spanish international is in exile at Espanyol following a falling out with new manager Diego Martinez, forcing him to look for a new club, even if it means not playing for the following three months. An agreement is expected soon, as per Marca.
That has become the least strange part of the story though. Rumours emerged that de Tomas’ agent, Ivan Garcia, had got into a fight with Rayo Vallecano President Raul Martin Presa during negotiations.
On Saturday, Presa himself confirmed to Partidazo Cope that he had been headbutted by Garcia, as he sported a plaster on his nose.
“It was a completely unexpected headbutt. It was the action of criminal, a very cowardly action and a very s***** action. Because if he gives me warning, then we fight.”
Qué movida la de Martín Presa, presidente del Rayo, que ha contado en @partidazocope que fue agredido por un miembro de la agencia de representación de RDT: "Fue un cabezazo totalmente inesperado. Es de ser un criminal, muy cobarde y muy mierda. Porque si me lo dice, nos batimos" pic.twitter.com/9Fhbw0XwYt
— Manu Heredia (@ManuHeredia21) September 10, 2022
Following Rayo’s 2-1 victory over Valencia, the club released an official statement on the matter, which reads as follows:
1- It is radically false that Raul Martin Presa assaulted Ivan Garcia
2- Ivan Garcia assaulted Raul Martin Presa by headbutting him in the face, late at night on Thursday.
3- Precisely for being assaulted, Raul Martin Presa called the police, went to Accident and Emergency at a medical centre in order to receive medical assistance, and, immediately, made a formal complaint against Ivan Garcia to the police department.
The diffusion of the fake news yesterday that we here have denied is a weak defence strategy from Ivan Garcia in the face of the legal issue he is facing.
While there is certainly an absurd and to some even comical aspect of the matter, it further drags Rayo Vallecano’s name through the mud. President Presa is publicly disliked by his own fanbase and has even come under criticism from his own players, while the women’s and youth teams at Rayo suffer unacceptable conditions. Last season other teams had to volunteer their medical staff to treat Rayo players as the club refused to hire their own.
Image via David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images
