Rayo Vallecano players strike over unpaid wages

The first-team players of Rayo Vallecano, which won promotion to the Primera División last season, made good on their threat not to report for the first day of pre-season training on Tuesday due to non-payment of wages. "At the moment there is no fixed date [for the players' return]," said Rayo's captain, José María Movilla. "The decision not to postpone our return was taken by the coach, José Ramón Sandoval, and the players complied in the meeting we had this afternoon [Monday]."

Rayo's players have gone unpaid for several months and toward the end of last season had mooted the idea of refusing to play. The club changed hands when the Ruiz-Mateos family, the owners of the Nueva Rumasa group of companies that is in bankruptcy proceedings, was replaced by Raúl Martín Presa in May.

However, the arrival of the new president has not resulted in any forthcoming payment and the amount promised to the players on June 30 failed to materialize. When the players arrived at the club's training complex yesterday it was not to prepare for the upcoming season but to meet separately with Presa to discuss a payment plan.

"He assured me that on Thursday he will have the necessary documents to pay us a part of what we are owed. We trust that this will happen," Míchel, a senior player, said via telephone. The midfielder added that Presa had made no mention of a possible labor force adjustment plan, a regionally administered fallback for ailing entities to sack employees as cheaply as possible.

The players have earmarked Thursday for a return to training. "That is what we had decided at the meeting [on Monday]," said Míchel, at which the first-team squad, Presa, the administrators and representatives of the Association of Spanish Footballers were present.

In spite of its parlous finances and the possibility of a labor force adjustment plan, Rayo on Tuesday unveiled its first signing of the summer as it prepares for a testing first campaign back in the top division. "I'm very happy to be here," said Sueliton Pereira, a Brazilian full back signed from São Paulo regional division side São José. "I hope that the current problems that exist can be resolved in the best way possible."

The Professional Football League on Tuesday approved an Economic Control Regulation plan for the Spanish divisions based on the Uefa Fair Play initiative of balanced income and spending.