It has been a busy week for Spanish football.

Sunday’s Clasico saw Real Madrid set one hand on the La Liga trophy after a thrilling 3-2 win over Barcelona, with Carlo Ancelotti’s side now preparing for a Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich.

La Liga president Javier Tebas has been talking about staging games in the United States, while a noisy debate continues about introducing goal line technology after the ‘phantom goal’ by Lamine Yamal at the Bernabeu. Barca coach Xavi has changed his mind and after being set to leave at the end of the season, will now stay on at the club next campaign.

But by the end of the week, many headlines were about the government intervening in the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to try and clean up the mess still flowing from the exit of former president Luis Rubiales, after his behaviour at last summer’s Women’s World Cup.

Thursday saw the Spanish government’s Superior Sports Council (CSD) announce a new ‘commission of supervision, normalisation and representation’ to work with the RFEF to “initiate a stage of regeneration under a climate of institutional stability”.

But less than 24 hours later Pedro Rocha — handpicked by Rubiales as his successor — was formally named the new president, despite being one of…

Wednesday was another dramatic day in the saga involving former Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales, as an investigation into alleged corruption during his term from 2018 to 2023 gathers pace.

The 46-year-old was detained by police officers and questioned about his role in potential crimes of money laundering and misuse of RFEF funds. Investigators believe Rubiales and a number of his associates were involved in a number of different schemes linking Spain, the Dominican Republic, Saudi Arabia and China.

Rubiales resigned as RFEF president in September, having already been provisionally suspended by FIFA for his behaviour after Spain won the 2023 Women’s World Cup, when he held his crotch in celebration just a few seats down from Queen Letizia and the 16-year-old Princess Sofia of Spain, before grabbing star forward Jenni Hermoso by the head and kissing her on the lips during the medal ceremony.

For his kiss on Hermoso, Rubiales is to go on trial on charges of alleged sexual assault and coercion (which he has always denied), with prosecutors seeking a two-and-a-half-year jail term.

Here, The Athletic explains the latest dramatic developments in Spanish football’s growing crisis, and the potential consequences for Rubiales and the RFEF.

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Why was Rubiales…

Over the course of his 17 years as the most powerful figure in world football, Sepp Blatter was memorably characterised by the venerable British sportswriter Brian Glanville as someone who had 50 new ideas every day, “51 of them bad”.

There was the one where the then FIFA president said the key to attracting more interest in women’s football was for the players to wear “tighter shorts” to “create a more female aesthetic”; the one where he proposed games be split into four quarters; the one where he suggested the goal be made 50cm (19in) wider and 25cm taller; the one where he urged any player racially abused on the pitch to settle the matter by shaking hands with his abuser at the final whistle; the one where, with his regime finally crumbling in 2015, he declared he was the man to “clean up” FIFA.

But Blatter had his moments. He was highly influential in the introduction of the back-pass rule in 1992. He led FIFA’s clampdown on both time-wasting and the dreaded “tackle” from behind. Before he became an eccentric power-crazed FIFA president, he was a skilled administrator with a fervent passion for trying to modernise and improve the game.

One Blatter idea that fell by the wayside was something called “6+5”.

It was as controversial as it was intriguing….

Welcome to Full Time, The Athletic’s women’s football column, a one-stop shop every Monday to discuss the big issues in the game in the UK and Europe.

This weekend, the Women’s Super League (WSL) stepped aside for the Women’s FA Cup fifth-round fixtures.

There were huge clashes — Arsenal hosted Manchester City at Meadow Park — and close calls, with Women’s Championship side Crystal Palace keeping FA Cup holders Chelsea fighting until the very end…

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Main story

Manchester City’s 1-0 win over Arsenal could prove to be a key part of this season, as Gareth Taylor’s side showed the grit and determination that has not always been present.

City had to dig deep before and after defender Laia Aleixandri scored the only goal of the match (her second of the season) in the 74th minute, with their 19-year-old goalkeeper Khiara Keating putting in a world-class display at the ground where, four months previously, her error — misjudging the bounce of a ball played in behind — handed Arsenal all three points in the league.

There were few clear-cut chances for either side. In the first half, City looked more dangerous but failed to press Arsenal, with…

Warning: contains graphic detail of an alleged crime

Dani Alves crossed the corridor separating the cells from the courtroom surrounded by police officers and with his hands tied. He was wearing a white turtleneck jumper and the glasses he had worn the day before.

The crowd in the hall of the High Court of Justice of Catalonia suddenly fell silent. It was only the second time that accredited media had been able to see him in person, and he had previously been transferred from the cells up to the courtroom via a lift to which only the police had access.

“Do you feel like talking?” a member of the press asked. Alves nodded.

Wednesday was the final day of Alves’ trial for allegedly raping a 23-year-old woman on the night of December 30, 2022 at the Sutton nightclub in Barcelona. The former Barcelona and Brazil player has repeatedly denied the charges against him.

On Monday, five people testified: the alleged victim, her friend, her cousin, and a waiter and a doorman from the nightclub. On Monday morning, Alves’ defence team requested that he testify last and on the trial’s final day.

Tuesday saw 21 witnesses take the stand. Among the most prominent were Joana Sanz, Alves’ wife, and Bruno Brasil, the friend who was with the footballer on the night in question.

Alves, 40,…

The second day of the Dani Alves trial — considered the ‘trial of the year’ in Spain — started on time, unlike on Monday. The area around the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Catalunya (High Court of Justice of Catalonia) in Barcelona was just as packed, but the process was much quicker.

Proceedings on Tuesday started at 3pm local time and lasted until shortly after 6pm, with a half-hour break in between.

Alves was again present in the courtroom, moved from the court cells to the dock. He sat dressed in a long-sleeved grey polo shirt and was wearing glasses.

He has been in detention since his arrest for alleged sexual assault — a charge he has repeatedly denied — in January last year.

After hearing the testimony of the alleged victim, her friend and cousin, two waiters and the doorman of the Sutton nightclub on Monday, on Tuesday it was the turn of 21 further witnesses. That included Alves’ wife Joana Sanz and Bruno Brasil — Alves’ friend who was with him on the night of December 30 2022, when it is alleged Alves raped a 23-year-old woman in a private toilet in the Sutton nightclub, which Alves denies.

The first to testify was the manager of the nightclub, Robert Massanet.

Massanet said his attention was first drawn when he saw three young women, including the…

Barcelona fans — let us know what you think about the club’s situation by taking our survey

It has become a common sight this season: on Wednesday night, there were plenty of empty seats at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys as Barcelona beat Osasuna 1-0.

The figure of 37,888 — the stadium at Montjuic has a total capacity of 49,472 — was not as bad as it looked, considering it was a midweek game at 7pm local time against a midtable La Liga team. That may have had something to do with it being Barca’s first game since Xavi announced he would be stepping down as head coach at the end of the season.

Even so, it was their third lowest attendance this campaign. Barca are playing their home matches there while work takes place on the iconic Camp Nou, which president Joan Laporta has said will be ready for the club to return before the end of the year.

GO DEEPER

Special report: Inside the chaos and controversy of Barca’s Camp Nou rebuild

In the meantime, just 17,552 season ticket holders of the 80,274 at the Camp Nou last season have decided to take up their seats at the Lluis Companys. Some have opted to attend women’s team matches at the Estadi Johan Cruyff on the outskirts of town instead, while others have become matchgoing fans at local, semi-professional clubs.

“The…

Barcelona fans had long since left the stadium after witnessing their team fall apart in a shameful 5-3 loss to Villarreal, but even taking into account how low the fabled club’s standards had dropped this season, those left milling around Montjuic could sense there would be ramifications of some kind.

“Hey, where is Xavi? Is there something going on?” asked a member of the security team in the stadium to a couple of journalists in the media area, almost an hour and a half after the end of the match. The Catalan manager was way behind schedule for his post-match duties and yet to make an appearance in the press room.

“He’s never normally this late and we need to close the stadium at some point,” the security guards added, hinting at a hope their work shift would soon be done. Very few knew the bombshell of the night was about to be dropped.

When Xavi finally stepped into the press room at Montjuic, he did so flanked by one of Barcelona’s press officers, the personal media consultant he had hired earlier this season (Edu Polo), wife Nuria Cunillera, and his brother and assistant manager, Oscar Hernandez.

It was the first time during his tenure at the club that his family attended a post-match press conference.

Xavi took the central seat and asked for a moment to talk…

Aitana Bonmati has been named women’s footballer of the year at The Best FIFA Awards for 2023.

Bonmati, 25, was one of a three-player shortlist for the award having been nominated alongside her international team-mate Jennifer Hermoso and Real Madrid forward Linda Caicedo.

Bonmati had an outstanding year for club and country, winning the 2022-23 Liga F and Champions League with Barcelona and the 2023 World Cup with Spain.

She had been favourite to land this award and it follows her success in being crowned Ballon d’Or winner in October.

Bonmati also won the Golden Ball award at the World Cup earlier this year, as well as the UEFA Women’s player of the year and Champions League player of the season awards for last season.

Upon winning the award, Bonmati said: “When 2023 came to an end, I was nostalgic, because it’s an exceptional year I will remember all my life. I owe this award to the teams I played in, Barcelona and the national team.

“I must thank all the people who have helped me – without you I would not be the player I am. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I would like to congratulate all the nominees.

“Finally, I would like to say I am proud of being part of a powerful generation of women who have changed the rules of the game.”

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During the 2022-23…

Barcelona captain and two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas will undergo knee surgery this week, her club confirmed on Tuesday.

Putellas, 29, has not featured since being withdrawn at half-time in Barcelona’s Champions League win over Benfica on 14 November and has missed her club side’s last seven matches.

Putellas suffered an ACL tear in her left knee days before the European Championship in 2022 were due to start, ruling her out of the tournament and resulted in her missing the next 10 months.

“Barcelona women’s football star Alexia Putellas is undergoing this Wednesday 27 December an arthroscopy on her left knee,” the club said in statement.

“The club will be making an official medical announcement once the operation has concluded.”

[COMUNICAT MÈDIC]

La jugadora del primer equip femení Alexia Putellas se sotmetrà, aquest dimecres 27 de desembre, a una artroscòpia de revisió del seu genoll esquerre.

En acabar la intervenció el Club facilitarà un nou comunicat mèdic. pic.twitter.com/lNZCK9pnqk

— FC Barcelona Femení (@FCBfemeni) December 26, 2023

Both the club and staff had been concerned with tests concluding she does not have a serious injury and further advice was then sought over the source of the ongoing issue and what the next steps…