During the last couple of seasons, Spanish football had become a safe haven, an escape route from an increasingly ugly reality in the country. Clubs and national team successes kept piling up, while taking us Spaniards to a parallel world, much more entertaining and motivational than that we had to face in our everyday lives.

However, that numbing effect has started to run out, as the nation's financial and political structures deteriorate, threatening to implode at any point in the near ...

Read more