Villarreal president Fernando Roig has described a gas canister being thrown onto the pitch during Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Celta Vigo as an "unspeakable act of vandalism".
Play was suspended in the latter stages at El Madrigal after smoke engulfed the stadium, but both sets of players eventually returned to the field to complete the final minutes.
"We believe it was someone not associated with the club who committed an unspeakable act of vandalism, an outrage," he told AS. "Someone threw it from one of the exits and ran out. The police are looking into it, looking at the security cameras. The individual planned to come and do damage to Villarreal.
"The evacuation was orderly and the game was able to finish, although there was no longer a match. This is not representative of our peaceful supporters.
"The canister is similar to those used by riot police, but the police say that it isn't one of theirs. You have to release a ring before throwing it."
The defeat has left Villarreal four points off the top four.
Matt Law
