Oviedo digging in: club to keep fighting for match forfeit against Rayo
Real Oviedo say they'll continue pushing for a forfeit win after their February match at Rayo Vallecano was suspended over a dodgy pitch.
Real Oviedo aren’t letting this one go quietly — the Asturian club have made it clear they’ll keep fighting to have the suspended Rayo Vallecano fixture declared a forfeit loss for the Madrid side.
What happened in the first place?
Cast your mind back to 7 February. Oviedo were due to travel to Vallecas for a lunchtime kick-off in matchday 23 of LaLiga EA Sports. The game got called off because the pitch at Estadio de Vallecas was in a right state — LaLiga said it was suspended to protect the safety of everyone involved, which is fair enough on the face of it.
LaLiga then rescheduled the fixture for 4 March. Simple enough, you’d think. Except it really wasn’t.
Where it gets complicated
- The RFEF’s Sole Competition Judge stepped in and rejected LaLiga’s rescheduled date — a proper bit of institutional back-and-forth there.
- LaLiga pushed back, insisting they have exclusive authority over when matches are played and rearranged.
- Meanwhile, Oviedo’s legal team had already been arguing that the suspension shouldn’t be treated as force majeure — and the Competition Judge actually agreed, ruling that force majeure hadn’t been sufficiently proven under the relevant regulations.
That last point is a big deal for Oviedo. It’s essentially the backbone of their whole argument.
The alternative ground question
One of the more interesting angles here is the issue of backup venues. Professional clubs in Spain are required to have an alternative ground available for exactly these kinds of situations. Oviedo have pointed out — and the Competition Judge noted — that using an alternative venue wasn’t even considered in Rayo’s case. That’s a significant oversight, and it’s clearly something Oviedo’s lawyers are going to keep hammering.
What Oviedo are saying now
The club put out a statement this Thursday doubling down on their position. They’re framing this as a matter of principle, not just three points:
- Integrity of the competition
- Respect for sporting law
- Equality between clubs
Those are the three pillars they’re standing on, and they say those values are “non-negotiable” for the club.
On a more practical note, LaLiga have apparently committed to reimbursing all expenses claimed by Oviedo fans who made the trip down to Vallecas only to find the game wasn’t happening. Small comfort, but at least those supporters won’t be out of pocket for the journey.
The bigger picture
This whole saga is a decent illustration of the ongoing tension between LaLiga as an organising body and the RFEF’s judicial arm. Oviedo are essentially caught in the middle, but they’re not playing the victim — they’re going after the forfeit, and they’ve got the Competition Judge’s ruling on force majeure to lean on. Whether they ultimately get the three points is another matter, but they’re clearly not about to roll over.
Watch this space when March rolls around.