Reuters/Susana VeraAfter what local Spanish officials claimed was "football terrorism," Real Madrid has agreed to play their match against Rayo Vallecano on Monday night.
The match was originally schedule to start at 9:30 p.m. local time, but the floodlights that provide lighting for the stadium did not function, leaving stadium officials scrambling to fix the problem. With rowdy fans locked out of the stadium and growing restless, officials at Rayo's Estadio de Vallecas said the match would have to be rescheduled after they found cables for the lights had been deliberately cut.
"This is a new kind of terrorism, a football terrorism where a few prevent the fans attending a show," club president Raul Martin Presa told reporters during press conference.
"About 19:00 yesterday, when we tested the lighting, technicians tested the lights and there was no lighting. Given this, the technicians went up to the stands to see what happened and realized that there are 57 cut wires. All of them were going to the main," he added.
Real Madrid responded to the situation by explaining in a statement posted on the clubs website that the match would be played Monday evening.
"After the deplorable events that took place on Sunday…Real Madrid C.F. asked the Professional Football League (LFP) to schedule the game on Monday, during the day in order to avoid any potential problems that might again put it at risk," the statement posted on Real Madrid's website said.
"The president of the LFP has decided, however, that the match will be played at 19:45 and has accepted personal responsibility for it to take place without incident," the statement added.
Real Madrid looks to correct their early season struggles having only obtained 4 points in their first four matches. Meanwhile, Rayo Vallecano appears to be in winning form with seven points in four matches, placing them in seventh position in the standings.
Coverage for the match starts at 1:45 EDT and can be watched online here.
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