International soccer is back in the headlines for the wrong reasons this week. Of course FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA president Michel Platini were handed eight year bans from the sport for their role in the ongoing corruption scandal rocking the soccer world.

Corruption scandals haven’t avoided Spain either as former Sevilla FC president José María del Nido was sentenced to twenty-seven months in prison for a transgression outside soccer. Rather for overcharging for unperformed construction services.

Still European soccer’s integrity is in jeopardy just ahead of the 2016 edition of the Eurocup. No doubt it will still be a success, but in the age of Fair Play, it’s hard to trust those supposed to be doing the policing.

On the field, Barcelona wrap up a dream 2015 which saw them win the treble with yet another trophy. The one they will be adding to their case is the FIFA World Club Cup, besting River Plate of Argentina 3-0 in Japan.

Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo is obviously a lucky charm, as every team he has played on has taken home a championship. In addition to winning almost every championship available for Barcelona this year, he patrolled the net for the Chilean national team that won the Copa America earlier this summer.

Their rivals Real Madrid meanwhile, head into the Christmas break with an emphatic win over their cross-town neighbors Rayo Vallecano. Gareth Bale notched his first hat-trick with Real Madrid, scoring four total to help Los Blancos seal a 10-2 win.

Cristiano Ronaldo of course got in on the action, scoring two goals, but was noticeably somber throughout the match, foregoing celebrating either of his goals.

It started when Madrid fell behind 2-1 early and the Bernabeu crowd started to show their dissatisfaction. Ronaldo reacted to the crowd throughout the game, putting his emotions on full display.

This isn’t new from Ronaldo, as he has often publicly been at odds with the Madrid faithful. Likely the most notable time was a few years ago when negotiating a new contract with the club. Coincidentally this year he has had multiple transfer rumors circle around Europe, involving teams other than the usual return to Manchester United.

Heading into the break, Atlético Madrid failed to move ahead of an idle Barcelona in the standings, falling 1-0 to Málaga. Still though, they remain tied with Barça at the top of the league table. Real Madrid of course took the three points available and moved to two points behind the leaders. However with one less game played than both, Barcelona has the chance to take sole possession of first place when they host Real Betis on Dec. 30.

Photo: Flickr