Tell HN: docker pull failing in Spain due to Cloudflare block over football

A locally operated GitLab runner couldn't create pipelines, and it took over 1 hour to track down the cause. At first it looked like a TLS issue, and docker pull <image> was also failing even with root privileges.

The error message was x509: certificate is not valid for any names, but the actual cause wasn't certificate validation itself. The Cloudflare Storage host where the image in question was stored was blocked in Spain, which was breaking the download.

The items suspected were:

• Tailscale
• DNS configuration
• Local Docker / GitLab Runner configuration

However, opening the URL directly in a browser revealed a Spanish-language banner showing that access was blocked. The banner explained that the block was due to a ruling by the Barcelona Commercial Court on December 18, 2024, connected to a lawsuit between LaLiga and Telefónica Audiovisual Digital.

Ultimately, what this case shows is that a problem that looks like an infrastructure failure may actually be a regional network block. In this environment, even basic operations like docker pull can fail depending on the timing of football matches.