Swiss Super League side Basel's "dominance" of Swiss football, aided by "lucrative revenue streams from Champions League appearances," has "forced the country's domestic league to explore new formats that might make the season less predictable," according to Brian Homewood of REUTERS. Swiss Football League CEO Claudius Schaefer said that he feared "looming changes" to the distribution of Champions League revenue could "entrench Basel's supremacy further still." Basel this year won its eighth successive league title, "wrapping it up with six games to spare." Schaefer said, "The most important thing in the championship is the competitive balance. If you have the same champions eight times in a row, you have to be worried, so we are looking into reforms." He added that the money the club "pocket from its European forays" gave it a "clear advantage" in a league where the average revenue, according to a UEFA benchmarketing report, is €21.1M ($23M) per season. Basel has played in the Champions League group stage six times since '08, earning €17.8M from its participation in '14-15 alone. Schaefer said that this amount would "rise dramatically" under a new Champions League format which will come into effect in '18. He calculated Basel could earn around €40M ($44M) each season that it qualifies from '18-19 (REUTERS, 5/12).
