The cauldron has cooled down: a systematic literature review on home advantage in football during the COVID-19 pandemic from a socio-economic and psychological perspective

The phenomenon of home advantage (home bias) is well-analyzed in the scientific literature. But only the COVID-19 pandemic enabled studies on this phenomenon—for the first time in history—on a global scale. Thus, several studies to date examined the effects of empty stadiums by comparing regular matches (with supporters) before the COVID-19 restrictions with so-called ghost games (games without supporters) during the pandemic. To synthesize the existing knowledge and offer an overview regarding the effects of ghost games on home advantage we provide a systematic literature review on this topic. Our findings—based on 26 primary studies—indicate that ghost games have a considerable impact on the phenomenon of home advantage. Deeper analysis further indicates that this effect is based on a reduced “referee bias” and a lack of “emotional support from the ranks”. From a psychological perspective, we argue that our conclusions are highly relevant by emphasizing decision making under pressure and crowd-induced motivation in sports. From a socio-economic perspective, we argue that our findings legitimize a discussion regarding compensation of fans after sporting success as plausible and worth considering. Thus, our results are significant for scientists, sports and team managers, media executives, fan representatives and other persons responsible in the football industry.

Role of Football in International Business and Economy

Football events are one of the most significant sports events globally while football is one of the most popular sports. Thus, the football industry and football-related businesses plays an important role in trade and economy. In the current study key events and top associations and organizations of the football industry are identified, and their role beyond playing grounds is observed. Also, the role the football industry plays in the economic and financial developments of nations, brands and organizations and individuals is highlighted. A comprehensive chart has been drawn that presents a comprehensive structure of the global football industry and also identifies key sources of revenue and expenditures. The study is important for scholars interested in sports economics and sustainable economic development through sports.

Econometric Approach to Assessing the Transfer Fees and Values of Professional Football Players

Billions of euros are invested every year by professional football clubs for the recruitment of players. How do market actors decide prices? This paper presents an econometric model unveiling the key factors coming into play in determining fees on the transfer market for professional football (soccer) players. The statistical technique used to build the model is multiple linear regression (MLR), with fees paid by clubs as an independent variable. The sample comprises over 2000 transactions of players transferred for money from clubs in the five major European leagues during the period stretching from July 2012 to November 2021. This paper notably highlights the importance of taking into consideration the remaining duration of contracts binding players with the club to which they belong, a factor often neglected in the existing literature. It also shows that a statistical model can explain over 80% of the differences in the transfer fees paid for players. This paper reveals various applications of the approach developed for the football industry to both assess and predict football players’ transfer fees and values: transfer negotiations, club sales or purchases, bank credit, fund raising, financial planning and communication, legal disputes, etc.

Career patterns of marketing managers in top European football clubs

PurposeThe goal of this research was to explore career patterns of senior marketing managers in the best European football clubs (SMMEFCs).Design/methodology/approachThe data came from the LinkedIn profiles of current and past SMMEFCs. Firstly, the optimal matching algorithm was used to determine clusters of pathways leading to a first SMMEFC position based on the main activity of the employing organisation. Secondly, these patterns were compared in terms of variables depicting the career paths, clubs and managers. Finally, the evolution of the post-SMMEFC careers was analysed.FindingsPeople in their first SMMEFC positions are mainly male with a university degree in business and marketing, and with a predominantly functional experience in marketing. There are five ways to become an SMMEFC: through business (40% of the sample), football (32%), other sports (11%), marketing and communication (11%), and media (6%). As the majority of SMMEFCs come to their positions from outside the sporting world, the specificity of the football industry is not a serious obstacle. Instead, the careers are bounded by functional marketing experience. Among the individual sequences leading to a first SMMEFC position, only around half of the football cluster may be considered traditional careers. Football, and sports in general, seem attractive for post-SMMEFC career development for the majority of managers coming from all pathways.Originality/valueThe study is the first one to quantify career patterns in professional sports management. It provides new insights about marketing careers and practice in European club football.

The Effects of (Un)Expected Match Outcomes on Stock Return: A Case Study of Borussia Dortmund

We analyze the nature of stock price reactions of Borussia Dortmund, the only publicly traded soccer club in Germany, following domestic league and international matches over an extended period of time. Our results suggest that abnormal returns vary with the match result, the match venue, the competition type, bookmakers’ expectations, and the importance of the Bundesliga match. Although our results confirm the evidence presented in previous studies, they are surprising insofar as the legal form of Borussia Dortmund GmbH & Co. KGaA—a mixture of a stock company (AG) and a limited partnership (KG)—is quite different from that of traditional stock companies. From a theoretical perspective, diluted property rights and a lack of managerial monitoring are the main characteristics of this legal form. However, the club managers’ career concerns and the competitive pressures of the football industry seem to compensate for these deficits in the organizational architecture.

Advokasi Asosiasi Pesepak Bola Profesional Indonesia Sebagai Upaya Pemenuhan Hak Pemain Sepak bola Profesional di Indonesia

Abstract—The Football industry in Indonesia is currently in the process of developing towards a more advanced football system. To achieve these goals, the stakeholders have taken few efforts such as early age football coaching, develop adequate infrastructure, and also increase the professionalism of the implementation of the competition, accompanied by the support of each club involved. These efforts have been harmonized with the standardization of the international football industry under the auspices of FIFA. However, it seems that the efforts to develop the football industry have not yet been able to realize the indicators of the modern football system as a whole. That is because there are still many cases where the rights of professional football players are neglected by stakeholders. Therefore, the existence of APPI as a form of representation of the people who are engaged in football trying to complement the strength of the football industry in Indonesia. The movement of APPI, which advocates a lot of the rights of football players, will support stakeholders in strengthening the development of the football industry in Indonesia comprehensively. The concept of civil society will be used to help the writer find the characteristics of the efforts from APPI for football in Indonesia.Keywords: advocacy, appi, indonesian football, rights of professional football Abstrak—Industri sepak bola di Indonesia saat ini berada dalam proses pengembangan menuju sistem persepakbolaan yang lebih maju. Upaya yang coba dilakukan oleh para stakeholder ialah pembinaan sepak bola usia dini, infrastruktur memadai, dan juga profesionalitas pegelaran kompetisi diiringi oleh penunjangan dari klub masing-masing yang terlibat. Hal ini tentunya sudah diselaraskan dengan standardisasi industri persepakbolaan internasional di bawah naungan FIFA. Namun tampaknya upaya pengembangan industri sepak bola yang dilakukan masih belum menjamah indikator sistem persepakbolaan modern secara keseluruhan. Hal itu dikarenakan masih banyak didapati masalah pemenuhan hak-hak pemain sepak bola profesional yang lalai ditangani oleh para pemangku kepentingan. Maka dari itu, keberadaan APPI sebagai wujud representasi dari masyarakat yang bergerak di lingkup persepakbolaan berusaha melengkapi kekuatan industri sepak bola di Indonesia. Gerakan oleh APPI yang banyak mengadvokasi hak-hak pemain sepak bola di Indonesia akan membantu para pemangku kepentingan dalam menguatkan pengembangan industri sepak bola di Indonesia secara komprehensif. Penggunaan konsep civil society akan digunakan agar membantu penulis menemukan karakteristik dari upaya yang dilakukan APPI terhadap persepakbolaan di Indonesia. Kata kunci: advokasi, appi, hak pemain sepak bola profesional, sepak bola indonesia

Investigation into the efficiencies of European football clubs with bi-objective multi-criteria data envelopment analysis

A financially successful football club can achieve sporting achievements as well as become financially stable. From this point of view, in this study, the efficiencies of clubs were investigated with the Bi-Objective Multi-Criteria Data Envelopment Analysis (BiO-MCDEA) model by using financial and sporting data of the 2015-2016, 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 seasons of 10 football clubs in the Big-Five League which is the locomotive of the football industry. In the study, the number of social media followers, the average number of viewers and total market value were used as input, and the UEFA club score and total revenues were used as output. As a result, Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, and Juventus were determined as efficient in the 2015-2016 season, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool in the 2016-2017 season, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea in the 2016-2017 season. The reasons as to why Paris Saint-Germain was efficient in all three seasons were also examined. In addition, in the sensitivity analysis conducted to determine the effect of inputs and outputs on the model, it was concluded that efficiency was highly related to financial data.

ANALISIS KINERJA KEUANGAN MANCHESTER UNITED PLC SEBELUM DAN DI MASA PANDEMI COVID-19

This study aims to compare the factors that affect financial performance between Manchester United Plc and the similar industries by examinating financial ratios trends before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. The object under study was the Manchester United football club, while the industry average used the six biggest football clubs in the English Premier League, such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur. This study used a literature study method by collecting relevant data and information according to the topics discussed through various literatures. In addition, this study also using financial ratio indicators that were applied to the football industry to measure the financial performance of a football club. The data used were secondary data in the form of company financial statements from 2018 to 2020 from the company's official website. The results of this study conclude that Manchester United's financial performance tends to decrease,, especially in profitability due to the postponement of the competition during the Covid-19 pandemic. On the other hand, Manchester United's financial performance was stated to be good in terms of efficient management of employee payroll expenses and sponsorship contract revenues. Therefore, investors need to review the condition of football clubs based on financial ratios before making investment decisions on football clubs.

Diseño y validación de un cuestionario para conocer las principales barreras y beneficios percibidos en el arbitraje femenino en el fútbol (Design and validation of a questionnaire to identify the main barriers and perceived benefits of women's refereein

Las mujeres ha ido incorporándose poco a poco a la industria del fútbol durante los últimos años, no solo como deportista, sino también en otros estamentos de este sector como la dirección o el arbitraje. El objetivo del presente trabajo es diseñar y validar una herramienta de evaluación de las barreras percibidas en el arbitraje femenino, tanto durante la formación de las árbitras (de manera previa) como en su llegada al máximo nivel. Un total de 380 árbitras de ámbito nacional y territorial fueron consultadas a través de un cuestionario elaborado ad-hoc. Tras el análisis factorial confirmatorio de segundo orden, se establecieron 3 dimensiones: Percepción del Apoyo Institucional, Beneficios del Arbitraje y Percepción del Clima Social y Familiar. Tras el análisis de los resultados se puede concluir que se ha obtenido una herramienta válida y fiable para determinar las principales barreras asociadas al arbitraje femenino. Abstract: Women have been gradually joining the football industry in recent years, not only as sportswomen, but also in other areas of the sector such as management and refereeing. The aim of this work is to design and validate a tool for evaluating the barriers perceived in female refereeing, both during the training of female referees (in advance) and once they reach this level, as well as the analysis of the results obtained within the national territory. A total of 380 women referees at national and territorial level were consulted by means of a questionnaire developed on an ad hoc basis. After the second order confirmatory factor analysis, three dimensions were established: Perception of Institutional Support, Benefits of Refereeing and Perception of the Social and Family Climate. After the analysis of the results, it can be concluded that a valid and reliable tool has been obtained to determine the main barriers associated with female refereeing.