You might remember our story earlier in the month on the turmoil at NASL club Rayo OKC. You should really go read that to catch up, but the gist of it is that the club’s majority owner, who also owns Spanish club Rayo Vallecano, made a series of questionable decisions that precipitated massive turnover in the coaching staff and the front office. In the immediate aftermath, allegations of impropriety— from bounced paychecks to bizarre cost-saving measures— damaged the club’s and the owners’ credibility and even led to some fans calling on the league to step in.
In other words, things have been pretty weird-in-a-bad-way at Rayo OKC. And they just got worse.
Last week the club filed a report with local police after they noticed several pallets of artificial turf were missing from the field. 92 pallets were laid down on the grass at Yukon High School’s Miller Field to provide a playing surface for the club while preserving the natural field for the school’s football team and marching band. Rayo OKC employees apparently noticed last week that 40 of those 92 pallets went missing in the middle of the night. After contacting police, club officials launched their own internal investigation into the incident.
Last night, the club released a statement saying they had figured out who took the pallets— minority owner Sean Jones. They also announced they didn’t have an immediate solution to replace the pallets or, indeed, have a suitable playing surface lined up for the next home game.
“The removal of the turf was removed under (Jones’) authority in the middle of the night. The removal of the turf took place without informing Rayo OKC management. We still don’t know Mr. Jones’ intention for the turf or its whereabouts. There is no resolution in preparation for our home match on September 11.”
The club made it clear that their home game on September 11th will go ahead as planned, but they would need to make arrangements for a replacement surface.
The story did not end there.