Rayo Vallecano-Athletic Bilbao halted after supporters’ protests

The match between Rayo Vallecano and Athletic Bilbao, played on Saturday afternoon in the eighth round of the Spanish league, was suspended by the referee, the Spanish Football League, La Liga, announced. The game did not reach its conclusion: the referee stopped it after nearly a quarter of an hour of play as Rayo Vallecano supporters continued protesting against the club’s management.

The demonstrators threw paper planes, rubber balls, sandwiches and seats onto the pitch. The league said hard objects had been thrown onto the field repeatedly before the match was halted. It strongly condemned the behaviour, saying it endangered safety and made the normal staging of competitions impossible.

The protests had already brought play to a stop twice. They came amid a crisis over the condition of the stadium, which had prevented Rayo Vallecano from playing its home matches there in recent times. The referee ultimately called off the match while the protests continued, following a recommendation from the police.

The league said a new date for the fixture would be announced soon. It has not announced any sanction against Rayo Vallecano while further decisions are pending.