Lionel Messi's "signing bonus" for staying at Barcelona "could be as high as a record-breaking" £80M ($106M) and the club hopes to have a naming-rights sponsor for Camp Nou as early as next season to help the team pay for it. It is "normal" for clubs to add a signing-on fee or a renewal bonus in contracts but Messi's is believed to be the "highest ever." Catalan paper L'Ara reported this week Barcelona's wage bill as a percentage of overall revenue is now at 84%, up to £430M ($570.5M) (London DAILY MAIL, 10/12).
Premiership Rugby side Exeter Chiefs appointed SecuTix as its official ticketing technology partner. SecuTix, which already partnered with Saracens, was appointed to look after the club and its 12,500-capacity Sandy Park stadium (THE TICKETING BUSINESS, 10/12).
Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund supporters will continue their protests against RB Leipzig when the clubs meet at the Westfalenstadion on Saturday. In February, "there were outbreaks of violence before the game between the two sides in Dortmund, with visiting fans attacked." Dortmund police told "hooligans and criminals" that they will make "huge efforts" to protect away fans from "harassment and attacks" (ESPN.com, 10/12).
Serie A side Lazio Marketing Dir Marco Canigiani laments "we have a Champions League worthy squad, with the attendances of a relegation team." The team has averaged just 27,000 at the Stadio Olimpico so far this season, "despite facing Milan and Napoli" for two of its four home games (FOOTBALL ITALIA, 10/12).
