“Rayo Vallecano belongs to the rayistas,” a phrase that could be somewhat obvious and redundant, but it is something very close to reality. Around two thousand fans surrounded the Vallecas Stadium to get your ticket and be able to witness history. The franjirrojo box and the neighborhood They will experience European semi-finals for the first time and people didn’t want to miss it. MARCA has been there and has witnessed truly amazing scenes from the fans of a First Division club.
The first to get in line was a fan from Ciudad Real who arrived at the stadium at 00:30 in the morning of the 27th. He spent the whole night waiting for the ticket offices to open and begin selling tickets to the five in the afternoon. The second person arrived at 05:30 a.m. It was precisely Eduardo Godoywho was reunited with MARCA, after receiving the MARCA 80th Anniversary Trophy for being the 80th runner to cross the finish line of the San Silvestre Vallecana. “A lot of patience, a little water and good company“, he tells us.
The queues of the Rayo Vallecano fans.
Rayo Vallecano is the the only First Division club that sells tickets only in person. Without the possibility of doing it online and forcing fans to go to the field to see their team. “A disastrous management… We are having a terrible time. Our best season, centenary year, a Conference semifinals and we are lining up like in the 60s,” comments a fan.
The fans who have been waiting in line for so long, without any alternative to watch the game, have been very critical of the club’s management. “Bad organization and thinking zero about the fan“, “Rayo belongs to the fans” either “a shame“, have been the responses of a fan who is fed up, but who would give everything for his Lightning.
There was everything in line. People reading a book, with the chairs and refrigerators, others even working with the computer standing up. Images that are more typical of a private room than of a queue to purchase your ticket. And there is no other option.
The queues of the Rayo Vallecano fans.
“Lightning has saved me, it is my life and it is my death”
The wait will always be worth it for a Rayista fan and they go with their team as far as necessary, some even go further. “Lightning has saved me a lot, it is my life and my death. It is the way to get out of the routine of doing something different surrounded by your loved ones.“A sentiment shared by other fans.”Lightning is everything to me“, “It’s the neighborhood“, “It’s all life“. Pure feeling.
Many people spend the whole morning working in the afternoon, others have taken the day to go get the tickets, others have returned directly from work without being able to eat. Each one has its own story, but in common the red stripe ‘tattooed’ on their body.
The cheapest tickets cost 50 euros25 cheaper than the match against AEK in the quarterfinals. A very big increase for fans who are leaving salaries. “I’m leaving payroll, but this has to be lived“, says a fan. Fans who are season ticket holders have to pay an extra 20 euros for Conference matches.
The salesmen
The maximum number of tickets that can be sold at the box office is five per person. Many of them take advantage of this situation to buy more at a more reasonable price and then sell them. Profiting from something that leaves many people without their ticket or who pay a higher price than what they sell at the box office. A fan expresses her discontent with this situation.
“Very angry about the organization, It is shameful that groups come to buy five tickets and at the same door they start reselling”says a fan who has also seen the police come to the door, causing the buyers to flee the scene.
This is the intrastory of a historic match that will feature around 14,000 Rayista souls cheering on their team, with Leipzig as the final goal.
