Rayo Vallecano v Albacete: Abandoned game to resume behind closed doors

Published on: 27 December 2019

Roman Zozulya joined Albacete after Rayo Vallecano cancelled his loan spell from Real Betis in 2017

A Spanish second division match which was abandoned at half-time after Rayo Vallecano fans chanted that Albacete forward Roman Zozulya was a "Nazi" will resume behind closed doors.

The Spanish Football Federation gave Rayo an 18,000 euro (£15,333) fine and a two-match partial stadium closure.

Zozulya joined Rayo on loan in 2017 but the deal was cancelled after fans said the town was "not a place for Nazis".

The Ukraine international has always denied links with far-right groups.

A date for the second half of the game, which was abandoned on 15 December, has not yet been set.

A Spanish Football Federation statement said the fixture had been abandoned because of "banners and chants" aimed at Zozulya, 30, by one section of Rayo supporters.

It was the first time in Spanish football that a match has been abandoned because of offensive chanting.

In an open letter to Rayo fans in 2017, Zozulya claimed "a misunderstanding by a journalist who knows very little about the reality of my country and my own career" led to the belief he was involved in the far-right movement in Ukraine.

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Source: bbc.com

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