Rayo Vallecano have been prohibited from using their home ground for an unspecified period, less than three weeks before the new La Liga season begins, amid concerns that fans could be exposed to Legionnaires’ disease.
The club leases the Estadio de Vallecas from Madrid’s regional authorities, but its permission to stage fixtures there has been withdrawn following an inspection that uncovered significant health and safety problems.
According to a regional government assessment, accumulated waste and rubble inside the ground could contribute to outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease or fires, while electrical defects were also identified.
No replacement stadium has yet been selected for the club’s home fixtures.
Legionnaires’ disease is a potentially severe lung infection contracted by breathing in water droplets contaminated with bacteria.
Images released by the regional administration and independently confirmed as authentic show bags of rubbish and various discarded materials gathering in the concourse and food-service areas.
Mariano de Paco, Madrid’s regional official responsible for sport, culture and tourism, said on Tuesday that Rayo had failed to complete requested maintenance or submit evidence confirming the safety of the water supply.
“We made repeated efforts to resolve the situation, but it has now gone beyond recovery, with the inadequate maintenance formally documented,” he said.
“Because the club did not meet its obligations, the authorities were left with no choice but to intervene. The circumstances are unacceptable.”
De Paco said emergency repairs would start at once, with the work expected to last anywhere from two to six months.
He also said attempts to reach Rayo president Raul Martin Presa had been unsuccessful. Presa has faced longstanding criticism from supporters and players over neglected facilities and the club’s limited progress toward modernisation.
During the previous campaign, Spain’s football governing body released a letter from Rayo’s squad describing the Vallecas playing surface as unsuitable for matches. The players also raised concerns about cold showers and insufficient cleaning.
The team started that season unable to access its own training facility because of mould. Despite those difficulties, Rayo reached the UEFA Conference League final, where Crystal Palace defeated them 1-0.
Fans routinely wait several hours to buy match tickets from the stadium’s limited ticket office, as Rayo remain the only club in Spain’s top division without an online ticketing platform.
The regional authorities unveiled a proposed two-year redevelopment project last month, including the construction of an additional stand that would raise the stadium’s capacity to 18,500.
In February, poor playing conditions at Vallecas required Rayo to move a home fixture against Atletico Madrid to Leganes’ stadium.
Rayo opened their season-ticket renewal programme last week, increasing adult prices by an average of 15%.
One provision in the renewal conditions appears to account for a possible stadium shutdown. It states that if fixtures cannot take place at Vallecas, season-ticket holders will receive seats in the chosen substitute ground that are “as close as possible to an equivalent location.”
Rayo are due to host Alaves in their opening home fixture on Thursday, 20 August.
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