Are the Financial Fair Play Regulations F and Sustainable? Case of English Premier League

David Procházka; Šimon Vanc

doi:10.18267/j.polek.1306

Financial fair play and competitive balance in the Premier League

Sport Business and Management An International Journal ◽

10.1108/sbm-10-2016-0058 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 175-196 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Christopher John Freestone ◽

Argyro Elisavet Manoli

Keyword(s):

Fair Play ◽

Competitive Balance ◽

Content Type ◽

Premier League ◽

Financial Fair Play ◽

Financial Strength ◽

European Football ◽

Financial Power ◽

English Premier League ◽

Positive Effect

Purpose The introduction of financial fair play (FFP) regulations in 2011 was accompanied by criticism that they would have an adverse effect on competitive balance in European football. Counter-points were also expressed, suggesting that the opposite would occur; that they would actually increase competitive balance through reducing the importance of financial power. The lack of clarity and cohesion on this issue prompted this paper. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect FFP has had on competitive balance in the English Premier League. Design/methodology/approach The analysis conducted uses the Herfindahl Index of Competitive Balance as the primary method, and is supported by standard deviation of points analysis and a Scully-Noll ratio analysis, which together provide an indication of the level of competitive balance for each of the past 21 seasons, from 1995/1996 to 2015/2016. This examination allows for the trends in competitive balance to be identified, with emphasis drawn on the seasons after the introduction of the regulations. Findings The results provide no indication that FFP regulations have resulted in a decline in competitive balance in the EPL, instead hinting that a positive effect may have been caused. This positive effect exceeds the primary aim of the regulations and underlines their importance in the future stability of club football. Originality/value While underlining the need for further research on the topic, this study provides the first insights into the effects of FFP regulations on competitive balance in the EPL. These insights would support the view that FFP initiatives have begun to shift the focus of sporting competition away from financial strength towards more natural means of competition such as efficiency, innovation and good management.

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The effectiveness of UEFA Financial Fair Play: evidence from England and France, 2008–2018

Sport Business and Management An International Journal ◽

10.1108/sbm-03-2021-0024 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Aurélien Francois ◽

Nadine Dermit-Richard ◽

Daniel Plumley ◽

Rob Wilson ◽

Natacha Heutte

Keyword(s):

Cost Efficiency ◽

Statistical Tests ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Fair Play ◽

Content Type ◽

Premier League ◽

Financial Fair Play ◽

Football Clubs ◽

English Premier League ◽

Practical Implications

PurposeThis paper analyses the effectiveness of UEFA's Financial Fair Play (FFP) under the break-even requirement.Design/methodology/approachData was collected from English and French football clubs competing in the English Premier League (EPL) and in Ligue 1 (L1) for the financial years 2008–2018. Our sample includes 395 club-year observations. Relevant statistical tests have been conducted with the aim of analysing the effects of pre (2008–2012) and post (2012–2018) FFP enforcement under both profitability and cost-efficiency assumptions.FindingsIn the EPL, an increase is observed in clubs' profitability through both operating and break-even results. In L1, this improvement is only significant for break-even results of clubs not participating regularly in European competitions (non Euro-oriented clubs). Player expenditures, measured through two wage-to-revenue ratios excluding trading activity for one and including it for the other, have significantly decreased in the EPL except for the Euro-oriented clubs for this latter. Conversely, in L1, this decrease is only significant in both wage-to-revenue ratios for non Euro-oriented clubs and for the whole sample when trading is included.Practical implicationsIn addition to evidencing contrasting results in FFP effectiveness across countries, our results suggest it is not the sole cause of such an improvement in clubs' finances. We suggest that UEFA should pursue its efforts to scrutinise the level of clubs' player expenditures and that there is a need for a wider look at the FFP regulations.Originality/valueThis article provides further contribution to empirical studies on FFP effectiveness that have often been focused on a single country.

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Analyzing the effectiveness of UEFA's financial fair play regulations: A comparative study of the French Ligue 1 and the English Premier League

10.46298/mos-2021-7270 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (Research articles) ◽

Author(s):

Aurélien François ◽

Nadine DERMIT-RICHARD ◽

Daniel Plumley ◽

Robert Wilson

Keyword(s):

Good Governance ◽

Theoretical Perspective ◽

Data Access ◽

Theoretical Concept ◽

Fair Play ◽

Soft Budget Constraint ◽

Operating Income ◽

Premier League ◽

Financial Fair Play ◽

English Premier League

This article assesses the effectiveness of the UEFA Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations, one of the few financial regulatory tools for open leagues in Europe in two top divisions in Europe. The objective of FFP borrows from the theoretical concept of ‘soft budget constraint’ in sport finance and regulation literature. Introduced by UEFA in 2011 and fully implemented from 2013, FFP requires clubs qualifying for European competitions to comply with the financial concept of “break-even”, where football expenses should not exceed football revenues. This study uses the French Ligue 1 (L1) and the English Premier League (PL) as a case study for analysing the effectiveness of FFP and includes thirteen clubs (seven French and six English) in total. The selection of clubs was guided firstly by data access but was also restricted to clubs regularly participating in European competitions between 2011, when FFP came into effect, and 2018. The scope of the study enabled us to measure the effect of FFP with regard to the break-even rule and the payroll ratios before and after its full application by comparing the periods 2008-2013 and 2013-2018 using descriptive statistics and tests of comparisons. The results are contrasted according to the national context of the clubs studied and the indicators analysed. First, they show a general improvement in the profitability of the clubs in the sample, although the results are statistically significant only in the case of the PL. Concerning the payroll ratios, the first measure (payroll/operating expenses) decreased significantly for all clubs, with significant differences found comparatively in the case of the L1. The second measure (payroll/operating income) also decreased, but the decrease was only significant at the sample level when the trading activity was included in operating income. From a theoretical perspective, this contribution makes it possible to compare the conclusions obtained with existing works, be it predictive or empirical in nature. From a managerial point of view, it calls for UEFA to remain vigilant in respect of FFP. While the results appear to suggest that FFP has been effective in improving the financial equilibrium of clubs and their payroll ratios, the link between better financial health and good governance remains a key challenge for the industry moving forward. Cet article ambitionne d’évaluer l’efficacité du système de Fair-play financier (FPF), un des rares outils de régulation des ligues ouvertes en Europe. Elle s’inscrit dans le cadre de la régulation financière des ligues de sports collectifs en empruntant des éléments théoriques au concept de « contrainte budgétaire lâche ». Instauré par l’UEFA en 2011 et pleinement appliqué à partir de 2013, le FPF impose aux clubs qualifiés en coupes d’Europe de respecter une règle d’équilibre financier limitant leurs montants de dépenses issues de l’activité football à ceux de leurs recettes, sans l’aide d’apports extérieurs. Pour parvenir à cet objectif, nous avons retenu sept clubs évoluant en Ligue 1 française (L1) et six en Premier League anglaise (PL). Cette sélection a d’abord été guidée par l’accès aux données et a été restreinte aux clubs participant régulièrement aux compétitions européennes entre 2011, année d’entrée en vigueur du FPF, et 2018. Le périmètre ainsi constitué nous a permis de mesurer l’effet du FPF au regard de la règle d’équilibre et des ratios de masse salariale avant et après sa pleine application en comparant les périodes 2008-2013 et 2013-2018 à partir de statistiques descriptives et de tests de comparaisons. Les résultats sont contrastés en fonction du contexte national des clubs étudiés et des indicateurs analysés. Ils montrent d’abord une amélioration générale de la profitabilité des clubs sur l’ensemble de l’échantillon même si, au niveau national, les résultats ne sont statistiquement significatifs que dans le cas de la PL. Concernant les ratios de masse salariale, le premier étudié (masse salariale/charges d’exploitation) a diminué de façon significative sur l’ensemble des clubs même si la significativité des tests de comparaison n’a été constatée, cette fois-ci, que dans le cas de la L1. Le second (masse salariale/revenus d’exploitation) a également diminué mais la baisse n’est significative à l’échelle de l’échantillon que lorsque l’activité de transfert est intégrée aux revenus d’exploitation. D’un point de vue théorique, cette contribution permet de confronter les conclusions obtenues aux travaux existants qu’ils soient de nature prédictive ou empirique. D’un point de vue managérial, elle invite l’UEFA à rester vigilante car, si les résultats sont plutôt flatteurs laissant à penser que le FPF a été efficace dans l’amélioration de l’équilibre financier des clubs et de leurs ratios de masse salariale, le lien entre meilleure santé financière et bonne gouvernance est toutefois interrogé en fin d’article.

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The unintended consequence of Financial Fair Play

Sport Business and Management An International Journal ◽

10.1108/sbm-03-2018-0025 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 118-133 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Daniel Plumley ◽

Girish Mohan Ramchandani ◽

Robert Wilson

Keyword(s):

Financial Stability ◽

Causal Link ◽

Unintended Consequences ◽

Fair Play ◽

Competitive Balance ◽

Content Type ◽

Financial Fair Play ◽

Before And After ◽

European Football ◽

English Premier League

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine competitive balance in European football leagues before and after the inception of Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations by Union of European Football Associations in 2011, designed to bring about financial stability and improve competitive balance in the European game. Design/methodology/approach The research focuses on the top division football leagues in England (English Premier League), Germany (Bundesliga), France (Ligue 1), Italy (Serie A) and Spain (La Liga). The paper is organised into two distinct time periods: pre-FFP, comprising the six seasons between 2005/2006 and 2010/2011; and post-FFP, comprising the six seasons between 2011/2012 and 2016/2017. The paper uses recognised measures of concentration and dominance to measure competitive balance. Findings The results show a statistically significant decline in competitive balance post-FFP for leagues in Spain, Germany and France but not for England and Italy. Furthermore, the results report significantly higher levels of concentration and dominance by a select number of clubs in Germany. Originality/value The paper is one of the first to analyse competitive balance in this way both pre- and post-FFP. Whilst the paper cannot demonstrate a causal link between FFP and competitive balance, there are strong indications that competitive balance has been adversely affected (for some leagues) since the regulations have been imposed. To that end, the paper argues that FFP has had “unintended consequences” in respect of competitive balance.

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An empirical analysis of financial fair-play: The case of Russian Premier League

Russian Journal of Economics ◽

10.32609/j.ruje.6.49642 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 196-212

Author(s):

Selçuk Özaydın

Keyword(s):

Empirical Analysis ◽

Regression Discontinuity ◽

Policy Impact ◽

Fair Play ◽

Competitive Balance ◽

Regression Discontinuity Design ◽

Premier League ◽

Financial Fair Play ◽

The World ◽

The Impact

The real impact of financial fair play (FFP) came along with the break-even rule which prevents clubs from over-spending through a variety of sanctions. As UEFA limited clubs’ expenses with their incomes, the transfer market took a hit. This paper demonstrates the impact of FFP on Russian Premier League teams’ transfer activity, examines how transfers’ demography and career profiles changed and investigates the changes in competitive balance after break-even. A regression discontinuity design is conducted in order to estimate the policy impact. The empirical results suggest that Russian clubs have been severely affected by break-even in terms of transfer expenditure and balance and started to transfer more U21 players and players from lesser leagues of the world. Furthermore, competitive balance in the Russian Premier League deteriorated in favor of the giants in the league as a result of break-even.

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