Apparently Rayo Vallecano is the DC United/RFK Stadium of La Liga. We feel your pain. The media link doesn't work for anyone outside of the country of origin.
As much of a douche I might sound like for saying this I gotta say it... - Women's leagues in NA have contracted/folded recently because despite titles being won, its just not profitable. - Charging more for tickets during events to raise money for causes isn't disgraceful it's the norm here in NA. - Signs with less than the word "kill" are taken down because they distract viewers from paying sponsors in NA. There are reasons why economics are different in different places, yet good business acumen is hard to fault. I am by no means saying Martin should be exec of the year, but I can fault him for none of whats been said against him so far. Also the stadium in Madrid does look to be in disrepair, that is unfortunate. Hopefully repairs can be done without strikes and protests, when the money is available.
Well, if Spain wasn't a miserable shithole, the municipal authorities in Madrid would have forced the closure of the stadium for public safety until such time that the club made the necessary safety repairs. But that would probably be too "right wing" for RayoFan
Another thing of note should be that the only thing wrong with the pristine seats in picture 3 is that they're unoccupied... By the sounds of it these supporters would also be complaining about rising ticket prices after the renovations. Renovations which in no way would improve the financial situation of the team, nor make them more competitive on the field. I do get where this whiney sentiment comes from, but it's just misguided.
I'm stunned to hear such rudeness on the internet, of all places Lost_Hill, if you're still listening, in America this is called trolling. He's trying to get a reaction out of you. Please don't oblige. Exactly what I was thinking. Quite a culture clash, Rayo Vallecano supporters and Oklahoma, by many accounts the most conservative / libertarian state in the country.
So for 100 Euro you can see Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, etc... ? Why do we all sign up ?
The owner needs 1.5 mil euros to buy the stadium from municipality, so he can start repairs. Rent contract is nearing the end too. The owner is lowballing on the offer, and at the same time he spends a similar amount of money on a seemingly wonky investment into second division across the ocean. It's not just 'my pants got dirty because of this seat, fix it', that stadium situation is generally up in the air, and fans probably have all kinds of fears of where it will lead. Will they play in the same place in a couple years? Stadium situations can get emotional, American fans can be similar.
Rayo Vallecano supporters are angry about Rayo OKC http://www.blackandredunited.com/20...vallecano-supporters-are-angry-about-rayo-okc
The owner owns the team not the club, and to some extent its why the supporters are angry. They feel he's spending money on OKC when it should be spent on Rayo.
This article just makes so much more unsure of the viability of this club now. Since Rayo didn't pay the expansion fee there is a possibility that they could just pull out of the team and leave the minority owner hanging before the season even begins or am I wrong on that? I hope I'm wrong and they have at least a year to find some other owner to take Presa's share because I seriously doubt he'll last more then 2 years.
So their reserve team isn't getting paid? Sounds like Rayo's ownership group just found some American investors (the minority owners of Rayo OKC) to pay their reserve players ... essentially relocating the "reserve" team to OKC?! Will be interesting to see how many of those players come over. They may be really good and better than most of the NASL level, but who knows.
The Rayo Vallecano Reserves play in the 3rd division, that means the 4th level of spanish soccer. (Primera, Segunda A, Segunda B, Tercera) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayo_Vallecano_B
Well, I'm relying upon the standards set in place by USSF to help out in this situation. My source, USSF Professional Standards (on Kenn.com), states the following: "c. Financial Viability i. League must demonstrate adequate financial viability to ensure continued operation on a season‐by‐season basis either in the form of a performance bond or similar instrument for each team in the amount of seven hundred fifty thousand US dollars (US $750,000), or readily‐available league funds representing such amounts." Then skipping ahead a bit it also states that "Any team whose performance bond is used during the season will be required to replenish it at least 120 days prior to the next season." Which I think is fair to say that any new team must provide evidence of satisfying the bond 4 months prior to the start of their season. Assume that the 2016 season will start on Saturday, April 9th - that means there are 143 until the season starts. As a new team Rayo OKC's ownership will have to provide proof in the form of a performance bond or other instrument in the next 23 days at the latest. My hope is the Rayo OKC owners have already provided this proof. Furthermore, the financial requirements state very clearly the following... "ii. Each team ownership group must demonstrate the financial capacity to operate the team for three years. As part of the process of demonstrating financial capacity, each ownership group must provide detailed financial history (if applicable) and projections (including a detailed budget) for the team to the Federation in a form satisfactory to the Federation. In addition, each team must have and its governing documents must designate one principal owner with a controlling interest who owns at least 35% of the team and has authority to bind the team. Such principal owner must have an individual net worth of at least twenty million US dollars (US $20,000,000) exclusive of the value of his/her ownership in the league or team and his/her primary personal residence. Federation shall have the right to require an independent audit to establish that the principal owner’s net worth meets this requirement; the cost of such audit shall be the responsibility of the team or league." The NASL as a Division 2 league is required to follow the above standards by the USSF. I am assuming the NASL has already vetted the team against these requirements and shared this information with the USSF per the requirements. If that is not the case, and the NASL has not followed the standards outlined above by the USSF - well then the NASL has a whole other set of problems.
If Raul Martin Presa bought in personally, I'm sure the NASL took into account the market value of his 97% stake in Rayo Vallecano. I'm not aware of what his liquid net assets are. Considering the stress that the NASL is under (San Antonio, Atlanta, Beckham MLS, Minnesota to MLS), it would not surprise me to learn that they 'rationalized' the solvency and going concern issues of Raul Martin Presa.
No, in fact many people HATE Ruiz Mateos family, "the former owners, the guys who GOT them into bankruptcy". Also, there's a big buzz about Presa being a Ruiz Mateos family's front to own Rayo Vallecano without being implicated. Don't buy it, don't have time to translate his stupid sayings. Recently he said Rayo OKC would be a "pride" for Rayo Vallecano fans, though he didn't ask the small stockholders about it nor fans. If you know Rayo Vallecano, you would see Rayo Vallecano is NOTHING without its fans. Presa has not enough money to make the team win everything, we're talking about a team that "survives" in first Spanish football category with more mediocre players than good players because there is no money for great players, and where awesome players appear in Vallekas, they usually go away next year to other big teams (our last one was Alberto Bueno, he went away to Oporto though he's not playing much there). I'm not saying that fans can make Rayo Vallecano win everything (if a team could win because of the brilliance of its fans, Rayo Vallecano would be one of the best European teams and Barça and Real Madrid would be in the third category of liga), but the matches become a great show because of fans, and fans has always shown their support even when Rayo was in the third category (2ª B). Yeah, of course Presa owns the team WITH OTHER MINORITY OWNERS, and he can do whatever he wants WITH THE SUPPORT OF MINORITY OWNERS, but he also is running a team with a solid base of fans who have been following since Rayo for more than 10, 20 years. You have to respect them because they're part of the club. Yeah, we're proud leftists who don't believe in monarchies and also protest against them and show our republican flags whenever we can: Yeah, 100 euros is a bargain if you have a good service. Not if you seat in plants or birds' shit. At least they also get a team mascot, this beautiful and funny mouse: http://vallecasweb.com/deportes/item/vallecas-rayo-vallecano-muerte-de-un-raton-151108 I can understand that teams like Real Madrid or FC Barcelona, even Valencia FC, Athletic Club de Bilbao... think about investing money in USA soccer. But not Rayo Vallecano. They have no money to pay their workers and use it to buy a team in USA. NO SENSE. Women's league may not be profitable, but if you have 11 girls training every day and playing every weekend, at least you should pay them a minimum salary, or like a part-time job. They're playing for nothing, risking an injury for the team and receiving only the thanks and support of fans, because the club don't worry about them. Charging a shirt price to raise money for social causes is OK, lying is not. He said the club was going to put the money and the club is doing nothing. Here in Spain you can show a fascist flag, which is forbidden by law (anti democratic) in many stadiums (thankfully no fascists have the guts to enter that in Vallekas) but in the "social implicated team" stadium you cannot show a board against domestic violence. No sense, again. The money to repair the stadium was available until Presa spent it in a team called Rayo OKC. The municipal authorities in Madrid requested Raúl Martin Presa to repair the stadium or it would be closed. You know what Presa did? Put some new seats in a part of the stadium where no one seats. Brilliant. And then spend the money on Rayo OKC. Presa didn't clarify it. Many articles say he's the owner, not the club, but they're using Rayo Vallecano's name. Also Felipe Miñambres, Rayo Vallecano's technical director went to USA with Presa. Not clear. Presa didn't inform Rayo Vallecano's stockholders about it but Rayo OKC is clearly related to Rayo Vallecano.
Here's a link to their 2014-2015 budget. They have to disclose financial information to satisfy the bankruptcy courts. http://www.rayovallecano.es/presupuesto-de-la-temporada A cool $7,000,000 profit in euros is about $7,500,000 in U.S. Dollars. This guy must be a real **** to profit and not market and not financially support the women's team that Rayo Vallecano controls.
When Martin Presa took over Rayo owed 40 million Euros Rayo Vallecano reach La Liga after tumultuous period of ... fiveinmidfield.com/.../rayo-vallecano-reach-la-liga-a... 19 jun. 2011 - Rayo Vallecano reach La Liga after tumultuous period of absence ... With the debt Martín has taken on reported to be as high as €40 million,
@Lost_Hill if he spent 1million for Rayo instead of stadium repairs I think that was a wise choice. Stadium issues do suck though. How far could 1million do for a municipally owned stadium? Probably just new seats... 1million USD for Rayo OKC is a bargain, he's already ahead of the curb. Everyone else pays 3m for expansion fees these days. He's also got a minority partner, which is a plus because he's local to OKC. Seems like Rayo will be in OKC for 3 years and that might be a good thing, it remains to be seen how it all works out. The immediate deliverables are a brand extension, a bargain of a deal on a franchise in a growing league (buy low sell high), potential for development in foreign market, and the potential stability of finances. Just sayin' From negative 40m to +7m seems like a winning situation, so he might not be socially adept, but there seems to be some method to his perceived madness.