How the UEFA Financial Fair Play regulations affect football clubs’ priorities and leagues’ competitive balance?

  1. Garcia-del-Barrio, Pedro 1
  2. Rossi, Giambattista 2
  1. 1 Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
    info

    Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

    Barcelona, España

    ROR https://ror.org/00tse2b39

  2. 2 Birkbeck, University of London
    info

    Birkbeck, University of London

    Londres, Reino Unido

    ROR https://ror.org/02mb95055

Revista:
European Journal of Government and Economics

ISSN: 2254-7088

Any de publicació: 2020

Volum: 9

Número: 2

Pàgines: 119-142

Tipus: Article

DOI: 10.17979/EJGE.2020.9.2.5842 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openAccés obert editor

Altres publicacions en: European Journal of Government and Economics

Resum

Institutional and legal reforms applied in the context of sports competitions often provoke structural changes that can be empirically investigated. Using a data set of 560 observations (20 teams per season, from 2009/10 to 2015/16, of teams playing in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1), this paper examines how the UEFA Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations may have altered the football clubs’ decisions concerning their sport and financial priorities. Moreover, based on a simple theoretical description, the paper shows that the increasing financial stability promoted by the FFP rules might actually imply – as an undesired side effect – a declined competitive balance affecting the European football leagues. Finally, the paper discusses some policy issues and recommendations.

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