Rayo Vallecano have slammed reports that their players were involved in match-fixing against Real Sociedad last Sunday.
El Mundo reported on Thursday evening that Rayo would be investigated by La Liga for allegedly throwing the match, which ended 2-1 to Sociedad. The authorities are understood to be concerned by some suspicious betting patterns that occurred during the match.
However, struggling Rayo have issued a stern rebuttal to the claims, arguing that it would not be in the players interests to have thrown the game as many of them will be forced to take a pay cut in the event of relegation.
A statement on Los Vallecanos’ official website reads: “In response to the story that appeared [on Thursday] in the media, which reported that the League would investigate some of our players for allegedly throwing the game at Anoeta on Sunday, the entire squad, technical staff and managerial body want to state the following:
“Under no circumstances will we allow the honesty, integrity and professionalism of each and every member of this club to be doubted, nor will we allow this information to tarnish the good name of the club, their players and the fans.
“The squad is completely alien to the alleged reason for this investigation, which is a significant drop in the odds for a Real Sociedad win in the betting odds. Obviously the players cannot be responsible for these or similar circumstances.
“We categorically deny that at half-time, an incident occurred or that there was an altercation between our players in the Anoeta dressing rooms, as has been stated in some media quarters.
“Most of our squad has a contract with Rayo Vallecano for next season, with a significant pay-cut if we drop to La Segunda, which radically contradicts the possible fraudulent interest in losing the match against La Real, as has been reported.
“The Club and squad are at the disposal of the relevant agencies for any investigation that wish to be carried out for this or any other match, with the commitment of keeping the League clean for the good of the game and all those who participate in it.
“On Sunday, we played an important match at Vallecas, which kept our chances of staying in La Liga intact, and we do not want news of this nature clouding and harming the good atmosphere between the team and fans that has always existed. It is essential for us to achieve our objectives together.”
Rayo are currently 19th in the 20-team La Liga, a point behind Sporting Gijon and Getafe. On Sunday they face bottom-of-the table Levante, knowing that if other results go their way, a victory will preserve their top-flight status for another season.
