Vallecas Stadium vandalized hours before Rayo - Cagliari friendly

The Estadio de Vallecas opened its doors on Saturday to host the Vallecas Trophy against Cagliari, Rayo's first home game since the Community of Madrid suspended the stadium concession in July. Hours before kick-off, the club reported on social media that the VIP box and several interior areas had been vandalized overnight, an episode it linked to the harassment campaign against its president.

• Rayo reports destruction in the VIP box and damage to the Estadio de Vallecas facades.
• The club sees the incident as part of a campaign against its president dating back to July 28.
• The stadium reopened on Saturday after months of dispute with the Community of Madrid.
• The Vallecas Trophy returned after seven years, with Italian side Cagliari as the opponent.
• A formal complaint will be filed on Monday with security camera footage.

Rayo reports attack on the Vallecas VIP box

Shortly before the stadium welcomed fans for the match against the Italian team, the club published a statement on its official channels describing an assault on its corporate headquarters. According to Rayo, the VIP box was left in ruins and the facades once again suffered damage, something they describe as a recurring problem in recent weeks.

Is this the public-private collaboration the Sports Minister wants for the Estadio de Vallecas? Rayo Vallecano publicly denounces that tonight the Estadio de Vallecas, the club's corporate headquarters, was assaulted; the VIP box has been vandalized and destroyed, as our stadium's facades continually are.

The statement places direct blame on the hostile atmosphere that, in the club's view, has surrounded the organization since late July. The board made no effort to hide its belief that the damage is connected to the ongoing dispute with the regional administration over the stadium's management.

Ongoing row with the Community of Madrid over stadium rights

The incident comes amid rising tension between Rayo and the Community of Madrid. In July, the regional government suspended the stadium concession based on an audit report that highlighted serious deficiencies. Positions have drifted even further apart since then, and this week the disagreement surfaced again: the Community favors a public-private partnership to run the venue, while the club insists the ground must remain available to Rayo.

The club maintains that the stadium reopened without the Community needing to carry out the works, which at one point were said to take up to six months over the summer. According to Rayo, full compliance with all regulations was proven and the audit report used to justify suspending the concession was dismantled.

Rayo links vandalism to an orchestrated campaign

The Vallecas club does not see Saturday's events as isolated. In its statement, it points to a campaign of harassment, extortion and intimidation against the president and his family, and includes the recent vandalism of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree statue among the precedents. The club argues these are hate-driven acts fueled by rhetoric that has dominated public debate for weeks.

It also takes aim at what it considers collusion between some public officials and ultra groups, an accusation that raises the tone of the institutional conflict even further. For Rayo, what happened on Saturday proves that some people were expecting a different outcome for the Vallecas Trophy: for it not to be played at all.

Vallecas Trophy returns after seven years

Despite everything, the match went ahead as planned. Italian side Cagliari were the opponents in a tournament that returned to the neighborhood after seven years away, a source of pride for the Rayo faithful that the club refused to give up.

Rayo made clear in its statement that what happened will not intimidate the organization. After the Vallecas Trophy, the immediate goal is to keep working toward a sixth consecutive season in LaLiga, something the club has never achieved before.

Formal complaint due Monday with security footage

The club has already informed the authorities and handed over photographs of the damage. The next step will come on Monday, when a formal complaint will be filed including recordings from the stadium's security cameras. Rayo expects the case to be handled swiftly and firmly, describing the attack on its headquarters as unacceptable.