Franchise Notes: Barcelona Website Briefly Collapses As 12,000 Request 'Clásico' Tickets

In five minutes, Barcelona's website on Thursday received more than 12,000 applications from non-season-ticket holders for tickets for Saturday's "El Clásico" against Real Madrid. The team's sales system was overwhelmed, as the flood of applications caused it to collapse, but the system was back online at 12pm. The level of demand exceeds the previous record from '11, when 5,000 applications were received for tickets to a Champions League semifinal matchup (Barcelona). ... Premiership rugby Worcester Warriors "hope a one-off price cut for next week's home game against Bath will bring back missing Warriors fans to inspire their misfiring team." Their 12-match run without a win since March 1 "has led to this season's three home league games so far being played in a near half-empty stadium" (BBC, 10/24).