Madrid Loses Two Football Teams

 Spain's largest city lost half of its representatives in the Primera Division on Sunday, but there could be three capital clubs in the top flight next term as Leganes lead Segunda

Spain's largest city lost half of its representatives in the Primera Division on Sunday, but there could be three capital clubs in the top flight next term as Leganes lead Segunda

The city of Madrid has been left with only two teams in La Liga after both Getafe and Rayo Vallecano were relegated on Sunday evening.

Getafe, Asturias side Sporting Gijon and Rayo were all fighting for survival on the final day, with only one of the three able to avoid the drop.

Sporting secured survival by beating Villarreal 2-0, while Getafe (in 17th place at the start of the day) lost 2-1 at Betis and Rayo's 3-1 victory at home to already-relegated Levante saw Paco Jemez's side sent down as well on a dramatic day.

So Getafe's 12-year spell in Primera Division comes to an end as the Azulones ended up in 19th spot, having been in a position to stay up after taking eight points from their previous four fixtures to depend on themselves going into the final day.

But they were unable to find a result as Betis won the match in front of the watching Gustavo Poyet, who now takes over as coach of the Seville-based side.

Getafe coach Esnaider was asked about Villarreal's performance afterwards and said of Marcelino (who spent spells at Sporting as both a player and a coach: "Marcelino? He will be happy. He'll be happy."

However, had Villarreal beaten Sporting, Rayo - and not Getafe - would have stayed in La Liga.

Sporting coach Abelardo (a former Barcelona and Spain defender and friend of Luis Enrique) was in tears after the final whistle after leading his side to safety in their first season back in the top flight since 2011-12.

"What a great day! Sporting Gijon! Congratulations Pitu!" the Barca boss tweeted in reference to his friend, with a photo of himself in a Sporting shirt and wearing a huge smile too after earlier enjoying a parade through the Catalan capital to celebrate the 24th Liga title his team had won on Saturday.


 

For his part, Abelardo said: "I'm shattered after two really hard seasons. I want to thank Betis for being so professional."

At Vallecas, meanwhile, there were emotional scenes as Rayo were relegated despite beating Levante 3-1, with the players crestfallen following the final whistle but back out to thank their vocal supporters after initially leaving the pitch.

"It's a sad moment, but also a proud moment," Jemez said afterwards. And he revealed he hopes to stay at the club he has coached for the past four years. "The president has my word and I will stay if things are done how I want them to be," he said.

Rayo's club chief Martin Presa confirmed as much: "We are going to return the team to Primera Division," he said. "If Paco wants to, he will stay." And he also hit out at Villarreal. "They didn't prepare for the game," he complained. "They didn't even have a shot on goal. From the first minute, that wasn't a game of football."

However, Villarreal striker Roberto Soldado hit back on social media as he tweeted: "Martin Presa... please! Respect."

The relegation of both Getafe and Rayo means Madrid now has only two teams, Real and Atletico, in La Liga. However, the city looks likely to have three clubs in Primera Division next season as Leganes top the table in Segunda and are four points clear of third-placed Gimnastic Tarragona with four fixtures remaining.