Rayo Vallecano defends decision not to pay tribute to Pathé Ciss after Africa Cup of Nations title

MADRID (AP) — Spanish club Rayo Vallecano said Sunday it did not pay tribute to its player Pathé Ciss following Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations title because of the recent tragedy involving train crashes in Spain.

Rayo was taking heat from some of its fans for not honoring the central midfielder who helped Senegal in its title run that culminated with the team lifting the trophy in the final against Morocco last Sunday.

Spanish media said Ciss retweeted an X post from a fan complaining that the club did not honor the player.

Rayo said in a statement it did not pay tribute to Ciss before the team’s 3-1 home loss to Osasuna in the Spanish league out of respect for the victims of the two deadly train wrecks in Spain last week.

“It was deemed inappropriate to hold any kind of celebration on a day of mourning, during which the team wore black armbands and observed a minute’s silence in memory of those who died in the tragic train accidents,” the club said.

Rayo added that the “well-deserved recognition” of Ciss will happen before the team’s home match against Oviedo in the Spanish league on Feb. 7.

A minute of silence has been held before kickoff in all of this weekend’s games in the Spanish league.

Villarreal on Saturday paid tribute to Senegalese midfielder Pape Gueye, who showed fans both his winner’s medal and the tournament trophy.

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