Deficits of accounting in the valuation of rights to exploit the performance of professional players in football clubs. A case study

Abstract

Football players’ transfer rights are the main and core assets in Football Clubs Public Companies (S.A.D.). They are partially recognized as intangible fixed assets in accounting. Internally generated players’ exploitation rights are not reflected in the balance sheet. Only the acquired players’ transfers fees are disclosed but at their historic acquisition cost. These deficits of the accounting standards often lead to net book values remarkably lower than those of transfer market. Through a Case Study, we try to prove the evidence of the enormous hidden values the assets of these firms contain, which are especially patent just a few months later after year end, when players’ transfers are sold from one club to another. Under our opinion, the new Spanish Accounting Standards according to the new underlying principles on which they are based should allow the possibility to amend these deficits of accounting.