Paté Ciss will be available for Rayo Vallecano in Saturday's LaLiga match against Elche after the disciplinary committee overturned his fifth yellow card. The one-match suspension, stemming from a booking in the 69th minute of the draw with Getafe, has been rescinded following the club's appeal. This 1-1 draw, with goals from Álvaro García for Rayo and Martin Satriano for Getafe, is part of a recent run of one win, three draws and one loss.
The committee upheld Rayo Vallecano's arguments. "A material manifest error occurs in the referee's report, as the video evidence provided would show that what is reflected in the report does not correspond to what happened," the Appeals Committee stated. The footage showed Ciss played the ball first in his challenge with Getafe's Abdel Abqar, and that the head movement originated from the opponent.
This ruling is a significant relief for manager Beñat San José, who regards Ciss as one of his most important players. The Senegalese midfielder has started nine matches this season, logging 720 minutes, and is Rayo's top performer in ball recoveries. His versatility to operate in central midfield or defence makes him even more valuable for a squad sitting 14th in LaLiga with 9 points, from two wins, three draws and three losses, and who are 18 points behind leaders Barcelona.
Losing Ciss would have complicated preparations for a key fixture at Estadio de Vallecas. Elche, 18th in the table, visit the franjirrojo stronghold this Saturday at 14:00 in the tenth round. Rayo are looking to pick up points at home again after an inconsistent run of form, with one win, three draws and one loss in their last five outings. In the last meeting between the sides, on April 3rd, Vallecano won 1-0.
With Ciss on the pitch, Rayo Vallecano face the match with greater assurance in a game that could help them pull away from the relegation places. The team needs to improve its attacking output, where Sergio Camello leads the scoring charts with seven goals, in a season where the team has scored 12 but conceded 17. The availability of the Senegalese midfielder is, therefore, the best news of the week for a club that will also have a partial closure of one Vallecas zone due to prior incidents.
This story first appeared at alicanteplaza.es
