La Liga's decision leaves Rayo and Athletic without a Sunday replay

At the Estadio de Vallecas, officials from Rayo and Athletic met with Sánchez Martínez, the coaches and captains, and also with Pablo Moreno and Juanma Velasco, to discuss an immediate restart of the suspended fixture. The two clubs had agreed to resume the game straight away.

La Liga then informed both sides that the match could not be played later that day nor on Sunday, stating: "the suspended match cannot be played either during the course of today nor tomorrow Sunday". This announcement overturned the clubs' plan to restart the encounter.

Club reactions to the postponement

Around 16.30 hours, Raúl Martín Presa, the highest authority at Rayo, left the stadium carrying the official notice of the cancellation. Meanwhile, Athletic’s players and coaches, who were waiting in their hotel, learned there was no possibility of a Sunday game and promptly began their journey back to Bilbao.

The original intention had been to play the match behind closed doors, but the clubs needed the agreement of sporting bodies and security officials, a condition that could not be met in time.

Calendar impact and rescheduling options

The indefinite postponement complicates the calendars of both sides, especially Athletic, which already has a delayed fixture against Levante. The Lions will recover that game on 21 October at the Ciutat de Valencia, a week that coincides with European competition.

Organisers intend to handle the Rayo‑Athletic fixture in the same way as the Levante‑Athletic tie, potentially on a Tuesday or Wednesday of the same week and certainly on a European match‑day. The next continental Wednesdays before the Christmas break are 4 November, 25 November and 9 December.

La Liga and the Royal Spanish Football Federation have not yet set the exact conditions for the replay, but all indications point to the match being played behind closed doors.