After 147 days away from the Estadio de Vallecas, Rayo Vallecano's homecoming lasted barely 13 minutes of actual football before protesting fans brought the match against Athletic Club to a premature end.
The club had been exiled from its stadium since May, forced to play three home league fixtures some 20km away at Leganés after Madrid's regional government suspended the agreement permitting Rayo's use of the ground, citing safety and health concerns. The venue, used in exchange for an annual fee of roughly €81,784, had reportedly fallen into disrepair, with supporters long complaining about conditions that players and staff were also forced to endure, including training sessions relocated to Getafe.
Saturday's return was meant to be a celebration. Instead, it became a flashpoint for simmering anger directed at club president Raúl Martín Presa. In the 13th minute, with an Athletic corner underway, thousands of supporters across all three stands unfolded paper planes - distributed beforehand on flyers reading "Today is a day to protest" - and sent them fluttering onto the pitch alongside small plastic balls. Referee José María Sánchez Martínez halted play while ballboys cleared the debris, and the match resumed after an eight-minute, 43-second delay.
The reprieve was short-lived. Moments after the restart, with Yuri Berchiche narrowly missing the target from the resulting corner, a second wave of planes rained down. This time the referee pulled the players off entirely. After consultations in the tunnel - where club captains, including Óscar Valentín, addressed supporters directly - officials attempted one more restart roughly 43 minutes after kick-off. A countdown from the stands preceded Emil Audero's goal-kick, and as the ball went up, so did another flurry of paper aircraft.
With that, Sánchez Martínez gathered both captains, both managers, a La Liga match director, a security adviser and a police officer for an on-field conference. Rayo coach Beñat San José was seen translating for Athletic counterpart Edin Terzic. Despite objections from Rayo's Álvaro García, the officials determined there was no way forward, and at 49 minutes and 18 seconds after the original kick-off, the game was called off, having produced only 13 minutes of actual play.
Players from both sides left to applause rather than frustration. Athletic's Iñaki Williams and goalkeeper Unai Simón stopped to pose for photos with ballboys, with Williams handing over his shirt and Simón his gloves before heading down the tunnel. Rayo supporters, far from despondent, broke into celebratory song as if their side had won.
The context behind the unrest runs deep. This was a club that reached a European final last season under then-manager Iñigo Pérez, who has since left, while former captain Óscar Trejo relinquished the armband over disputes regarding treatment of staff before retiring. Supporters have now fixed their anger squarely on Presa, whom they blame for the club's deteriorating facilities and fear could lead to relegation to the second division.
Rayo's official supporters' association described the protest as