SPORTS SATURDAY, MAY 13, 2017

Five things to look Swiss league ponders changes as for in dominance endures ZURICH: FC Basel’s dominance of Swiss football, aided BERLIN: Bayern and RB Leipzig Friction in Dortmund Hoffenheim lag behind Dortmund in their by lucrative revenue streams from Champions League meet in a top-of-the-table clash, unrest are at Augsburg hunt for a Champions League place. appearances, has forced the country’s domestic league rattles Borussia Dortmund while the bat- with speculation raging that head coach Bremen, eighth, are just a point from a to explore new formats that might make the season less tle avoid relegation rages on. Here are Thomas Tuchel may quit at the end of the Europa League spot-an amazing turn predictable. Claudius Schaefer, CEO of the Swiss Football five things to look for the in the season. CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has around having been one place off the rel- League (SFL), told Reuters he feared looming changes to Bundesliga today: said their relationship is strained over the egation places in mid March. “We have the distribution of Champions League revenue could decision to play their Champions League achieved our big goal, anything else is entrench Basel’s supremacy further still. Basel this year Score to settle quarter-final first-leg a day after a bomb just sensational,” said head coach won their eighth successive league title, wrapping it up Ralph Hasenhuettl says his RB Leipzig attack on their team bus last month. Alexander Nouri, who is relieved to keep with six games to spare. “The most important thing in have a score to settle at home to Bayern Tuchel, 43, complained after the 3-2 Bremen up. Werder have dead-ball the championship is the competitive balance,” Schaefer Munich. Second-placed Leipzig were defeat by Monaco that he had not been expert Zlatko Junuzovic and veteran strik- said in an interview. “If you have the same champions drubbed 3-0 in Munich last December and involved in the decision “at all”, but er Claudio Pizarro fit again after missing eight times in a row, you have to be worried, so we are want revenge at the Red Bull Arena. Both Watzke has said that is not true. “The training on Wednesday. looking into reforms.” RB and 2016/17 Bundesliga winners rumors are spreading, but I’m not com- Schaefer said Basel were a well-managed club who Bayern have qualified for next season’s menting on them at the moment, Relegation battle rages deserved their success. “They haven’t had the owners or Champions League, but pride is at stake because I am concentrating with my After narrowly avoiding the dreaded president changing every couple of years like some oth- “There couldn’t be a better opponent to team on the last few weeks,” said Tuchel, drop in 2014 and 2015, this is the third er clubs,” he said. “It’s too simple to argue that FC Basel motivate us and to settle a score from the who has a contract until June 2018. Third- time in six years that are bat- are where they are only because of the UEFA payments.” first match,” said Hasenhuettl. “They will placed Dortmund must beat Augsburg in tling relegation. They are the only team in But he said the money the club pocketed from its want to demonstrate their supremacy and their quest for a direct Champions League Germany’s top tier to have never been European forays gave them a clear advantage in a will certainly be at their best.” Leipzig hope place as they are two points ahead of relegated from the Bundesliga. “Despite league where the average revenue, according to a UEFA to have defender Willi Orban fit after an Hoffenheim. the situation we have to trust ourselves benchmarking report is, 21.1 million euros ($22.93 mil- ankle injury. Bayern will field third-choice and not just boot the ball upfield,” said lion) per season. Basel have played in the Champions goalkeeper with All eyes on Europe Hamburg’s ex-Germany Aaron League group stage six times since 2008, earning 17.85 (foot) and (elbow injured), Both teams are in the running for Hunt. With two games left, the relegation million euros from their participation in 2014-15 alone. while defender Javi Martinez is out with a European places when Werder Bremen fight will go to the wire. Ingolstadt, who fractured collarbone. host Hoffenheim. Fourth-placed have 30 points, are 17th, an automatic rel- Split winnings? egation spot, and are four points behind Schaefer said this amount would rise dramatically Hamburg in 16th place, which carries a under a new Champions League format which will come German Bundesliga table two-legged relegation play-off at the end into effect in 2018. He calculated Basel could earn of the season. And Mainz, 15th, are level BERLIN: German Bundesliga table before Saturday’s matches (played, won, drawn, around 40 million euros each season that they qualify lost, goals for, goals against, points): on 34 points with Hamburg, but out of the relegation places on goal difference. from 2018-19. “This is a little less than the (entire) budget for our second biggest club Young Boys.” Basel said they Bayern Munich 32 23 7 2 80 17 76— champions Darmstadt bow out did not wish to comment on the matter. Playing RB Leipzig 32 20 6 6 60 32 66 Head coach Torsten Frings is demand- Champions League football has also allowed Basel to Borussia Dortmund 32 17 9 6 67 36 60 ing bottom-side Darmstadt go out with a showcase young talent such as Breel Embolo, sold to Hoffenheim 32 15 13 4 59 34 58 bang when they host sixth-placed Hertha Schalke 04 last year. Freiburg 32 14 5 13 40 55 47 “I don’t think Embolo could have been transferred for Hertha Berlin 32 14 4 14 39 41 46 Berlin in their last Bundesliga home match before relegation. Last weekend’s 25 or 30 million euros to Schalke without playing in the Cologne 32 11 12 9 47 40 45 Champions League,” he said. The Swiss league, which Werder Bremen 32 13 6 13 55 55 45 1-0 defeat at Bayern confirmed has 10 clubs who play each other four times a season, is Moenchengladbach 32 12 7 13 42 46 43 Darmstadt’s drop. Pal Dardai’s Berlin Schalke 04 32 11 8 13 43 38 41 must beat Darmstadt to stay on course a world away from the major European leagues, with 32 11 8 13 32 37 41 for a Europa League place, but Frings has average attendances of under 10,000. Schaefer said the Bayer Leverkusen 32 10 7 15 45 51 37 other ideas. “Of course, there will be sad- SFL would distribute a total 40 million Swiss francs Augsburg 32 9 9 14 34 50 36 ness and it will be an emotional game, ($39.70 million) to the first and second division clubs VfL Wolfsburg 32 10 6 16 32 49 36 but like in the last few weeks, we will give from television and marketing next season, double the Mainz 05 32 9 7 16 40 51 34 it our all and give nothing away,” insisted current amount but only a fraction of what bigger Hamburg 32 9 7 16 30 59 34 the ex-Germany midfielder. “We have leagues pay. He said he hoped it would be possible to Ingolstadt 04 32 8 6 18 34 55 30 already shown we can beat teams at that persuade UEFA to reconsider the changes planned for Darmstadt 98 32 7 3 22 26 59 24— relegated level,” he added after wins over Schalke, the 2018-21 Champions League cycle. —Reuters Hamburg and Freiburg in April. — AFP

ITALIAN PREVIEW Italian Serie A table

Totti committed as Juventus MILAN: Italian Serie A table ahead of the weekend matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): target title clincher at Roma Juventus 35 27 4 4 71 23 85 Roma 35 25 3 7 79 32 78 Napoli 35 23 8 4 81 36 77 LUIGIANE: Retirement-bound Francesco Totti said he remains With a seven-point lead on Luciano Spalletti’s hosts and three Lazio 35 21 7 7 70 42 70 focused on helping Roma secure a top-two finish despite the games remaining, Juventus need just a point at the Stadio Atalanta 35 19 8 8 59 40 65 prospect of watching from the bench when they bid to stop Olimpico to secure a record sixth consecutive ‘scudetto’, and AC Milan 35 17 8 10 52 42 59 Juventus securing the Serie A title tomorrow. The 40-year-old the first trophy of a targeted treble. Massimiliano Allegri’s 35 17 5 13 63 44 56 Totti ended months of speculation over his future by confirm- men face face Lazio in the Italian Cup final on May 17 before Fiorentina 35 15 11 9 57 49 56 ing this week he is ready to work alongside sporting director focusing on Real Madrid in the Champions League final on Torino 35 12 14 9 65 56 50 Monchi when he hangs up his boots at the end of the month. June 3. But Allegri is keen to make sure Juve get the job fin- Sampdoria 35 12 10 13 45 49 46 Known as ‘Il Re di Roma’ (King of Rome) for the best part of ished quickly. “We’ll go into the final looking to win, but in Udinese 35 12 8 15 44 49 44 a career spent entirely with Roma, Totti will be given a the meantime we can’t forget we need a point against Roma. Chievo 35 12 6 17 39 54 42 farewell worth of royalty when they host Genoa on his swan- Otherwise, it will come down to our (next) game against Cagliari 35 12 5 18 48 67 41 song on May 28. Despite a decidedly underwhelming end to a Crotone,” he said. Sassuolo 35 11 7 17 47 55 40 storied career that has been overshadowed by sporadic, Roma are without striker Edin Dzeko, who leads Serie A on Bologna 35 10 8 17 36 52 38 cameo appearance from the bench and disagreements with 27 goals, as he recovers from a calf strain and are still sweating Genoa 35 8 9 18 34 59 33 club officials, Totti says he remains committed to the cause. on midfielder Radja Nainggolan. The thought of Totti retiring, Empoli 35 8 8 19 26 55 32 “We have Juventus against Roma tomorrow, that’s all I’m meanwhile, is difficult to swallow for Roma captain Daniele De Crotone 35 7 7 21 30 54 28 thinking about because we want to fight all the way to the Rossi. “What he’s going through right is painful for me Palermo 35 4 8 23 30 7420 - relegated end in this championship, and Roma comes first,” said Totti. because I know it will soon be over for him,” said De Rossi, Pescara 35 2 8 25 32 7614 - relegated “There will be plenty of time to talk (about me) afterwards.” who has played alongside Totti for nearly 17 seasons. — AFP