Rayo Vallecano still does not know whether it will be able to host Espanyol at the Vallecas stadium on September 15 or whether the club will have to move again to Butarque. Before that, the Madrid side face a tough away trip: on Saturday, September 12, they visit the Bernabeu to face Real Madrid, currently third in the table.
The dispute between Rayo Vallecano and the Comunidad de Madrid over the concession of the Vallecas stadium remains unresolved, and Marca reports the situation has worsened in recent hours. The club has filed an appeal with the CSD, Spain's Higher Sports Council, to halt the precautionary extinction of the concession, a process that determines whether Rayo can keep playing at its historic home.
While that appeal is pending, opinions inside the club are split. Rayo hopes the match against Espanyol will be played at Vallecas, but some club workers believe the fixture will once again have to be staged at Butarque, as happened against Deportivo Alaves and Racing de Santander.
The mayor of Leganes has warned that lending the Butarque stadium will not come free for Rayo Vallecano. "He is going to charge the red-and-white side a figure of 50,000 or 60,000 euros for every match played at Butarque," the mayor said, referring to the cost of public services required for each fixture held away from Vallecas.
That bill adds to an already demanding schedule for a club that needs to focus on results.
Rayo Vallecano sit 14th in La Liga with 4 points from four games, with a record of one win, one draw and two losses. The club has scored 7 goals and conceded 10, a goal difference of -3, and sits 8 points behind leaders Barcelona. The next game is precisely against Real Madrid this Saturday, September 12.
The coaching staff also face several absences: Augusto Batalla, Isi Palazon, Jozhua Vertrouwd and Luiz Felipe are all unavailable. Whoever fills in for them will have to come from the rest of the squad while the stadium situation gets sorted out.
After the international break, which runs from September 20 to October 9, Rayo Vallecano will host Athletic Club on Saturday, October 10 at 14:00 at home. Marca notes that match could end up being the season's first fixture played at Vallecas, unless the Espanyol game is moved there first. Sitting 14th with 4 of the possible 12 points collected so far, the club needs to settle the venue question quickly to plan the rest of the campaign.
