Rayo Vallecano are a club in Madrid, one that is at the heart of their community and operates on a budget much smaller than that of their city neighbours Real Madrid, but that didn't stop them from doing the right thing this week when one of their fans, Carmen, was threatened with eviction.
The story made national headlines last week when the police showed up to evict 85-year-old Carmen from her house over loan repayments that had been missed. Carmen had lived in that building for over five decades, and she was looking at losing her home as a result of a loan that her only son had taken out. He used her flat as collateral, and he was unable to keep up the payments on it as a result of the crisis.
However, Rayo manager Paco Jémez heard of the story and after training last Saturday he turned to his players to suggest that they do the right thing and prove that the club, who have left-wing roots, were true to their tradition. The players and the staff were more than happy to reach in to their pockets and help to find Carmen a new home, a gesture that went down extremely well with the fans who showed their appreciation before Sunday's game.
Both Carmen and her family were moved by the generosity of those in the club and the neighbours in the Vallecas area, but Jémez was quick to brush aside any over-the-top praise: "I think we've only done what we had to do for her...but we're very proud of it".
At the moment, Rayo are sitting mid-table and don't look like they'll challenge much further up the rankings, but even if they stay there, they have done something this season that their fans can be truly proud of.
