Rayo Vallecano Supporters Federation Criticizes Club President Over Ticket Cancellation

The Rayo Vallecano Supporters Federation has expressed strong dissent towards the club president, Raúl Martín Presa, following the cancellation of travel arrangements for the upcoming match against Real Oviedo, part of LaLiga EA Sports’ 13th round. This decision comes after Real Oviedo officially announced that they would not be providing tickets for visiting fans.

The supporters’ federation directly holds Martín Presa and LaLiga accountable for preventing numerous fans from traveling with the team. The president has faced renewed criticism for allegedly failing to designate a clearly identified area for rival supporters in Vallecas, as well as for not ensuring ticket availability for away games.

While the federation acknowledges, albeit reluctantly, Real Oviedo’s decision to withhold tickets due to uncertainties regarding their own ticket allocation for the return match in Vallecas, they caution that esteemed clubs like Real Oviedo should not engage in the same moral shortcomings exhibited by Martín Presa.

The federation regrets any inconvenience this decision may cause to Rayo Vallecano supporters and pledges to continue advocating for a return to normalcy in future travel arrangements, allowing fans to support their team as they have traditionally done.

In a statement, they declared, “The Rayo Vallecano Supporters Federation finds itself compelled to cancel the planned travel for our fans to the Carlos Tartiere stadium after being officially informed that Real Oviedo will not provide any visiting ticket allocation.

We sincerely regret the inconveniences this might cause our supporters and will persist in our efforts to restore normalcy in future travel plans, enabling Rayo Vallecano fans to accompany their team as they have done for years.

To clarify for our entire fan base, we identify the main culprit in this situation as our unique president, Raúl Santiago Martín Presa. Although he is not the only one responsible, as La Liga under Javier Tebas allows such circumstances, thus becoming an accomplice to the exclusion of hundreds of Rayo fans from supporting their team.

This issue arises because clubs in La Liga are not mandated to sell a specific number of visitor tickets in designated areas of the stadium, which Martín Presa exploits to avoid establishing a visitor zone, a standard practice among other league teams.

We can understand, though we do not agree with, Real Oviedo’s decision not to sell us tickets for this match, given their uncertainty about ticket availability in Vallecas. However, we believe that organizations with the legacy and dignity of Real Oviedo should not descend to the same moral depths as those exhibited by Martín Presa in his management.

We urge all clubs yet to host us to be understanding and grant us a ticket allocation as they do for other fans since we, the supporters of Rayo Vallecano, bear no responsibility for being led by someone who appears mentally unbalanced and believes everyone is against him, while he holds absolute conviction in his stance.

Furthermore, as modern football establishes rules and norms concerning how and with which instruments to support, we call upon La Liga to finally enforce regulations mandating clubs to designate visitor areas and the number of tickets they must provide, as seen in other competitions.

Football belongs to the fans, and the Rayo Vallecano Supporters Federation will continue to fight for improved treatment of supporters, committing to securing tickets for fans of visiting teams when they play at the Vallecas stadium, as we have done previously.