La Liga: Rayo Vallecano coach San Jose unhappy at ground switch for Alaves clash
Madrid, Aug 19 (IANS) Rayo Vallecano coach Benat San Jose expressed his frustration at his side having to play its La Liga matchday 2 game in 2026-27 season at Leganés’ Butarque Stadium on Thursday rather than in the club’s own Vallecas home.
Rayo has been forced to temporarily move to the nearby second-division side’s ground after the Madrid regional government suspended its license to play in Vallecas, citing several breaches of safety regulations.
The club from the south of Madrid tried to have the game postponed, but La Liga refused, reports Xinhua.
“We’re very upset and frustrated,” admitted San Jose, speaking to the press on Wednesday when he said he had been told the game could have been held in Vallecas.
“The club has informed me over the past few days that all the paperwork and permits are in order, but that they haven’t authorised us to play… Until this morning, we were waiting to see if we could play in Vallecas,” explained the former Eibar boss.
“That hasn’t happened to us; we’ve been denied the option to play in our stadium, and it’s not an easy situation,” San Jose continued.
The Comunidad de Madrid, which owns the Vallecas Stadium in the south of the Spanish capital, has recently announced that an audit had uncovered serious maintenance deficiencies and regulatory failings.
“The audit yielded quite dismal results regarding stadium maintenance,” the regional government said in a statement, adding that maintaining the venue and complying with safety regulations and licensing requirements are the club’s responsibility.
“The Comunidad de Madrid has decided to temporarily suspend the concession to carry out these reforms. There’s no way to guarantee that something won’t happen,” the statement added. It also cited “widespread obsolescence” at the stadium and “severe regulatory non-compliance.”
The closure has deepened tensions between the club’s supporters and the regional government. Some fans have long suspected the Comunidad de Madrid wants to demolish the ageing stadium and redevelop the site for commercial and residential use, although officials have denied such plans.
–IANS
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