Impact of the Proportion of Foreign Players’ Appearances on the Success of Football Clubs in Domestic Competitions and European Competitions in the Context of New Culture

Roman Adámik,Michal Varmus,Milan Kubina

doi:10.3390/su12010264

Abstract

The policy of using foreign players and their impact on club success is still relevant and can be viewed from multiple angles. This article focuses on the impact of the proportion of foreign players’ appearances on the success of football clubs in their home leagues, as well as in European competitions. The research is focused on the most successful European clubs over the last ten years. A total of 19 European clubs were selected for research purposes, which resulted in 190 cases. Statistical tests, correlation, and regression analysis were used for their verification. The research shows that there is a dependence between the appearances by foreign players in matches and the success of clubs in domestic and European competitions. Furthermore, the trend of higher use of foreign players compared to domestic players was also proved. The presented research provides a different perspective on the issue, attributing greater importance to the appearances by players in matches compared to other studies, considering only the total number of foreign players.

Highlights

When we look at the past, the original principle of building football clubs was based on a geographical principle
We examined the number of domestic players, i.e., players from the country where the club operates and the number of players from abroad
If we look at the dependence between participation by a higher proportion of foreigners and the success of clubs in European competitions as was mentioned in this paper, this may be related to the importance of matches, especially when we are talking about the play-off part of the competition

Summary

Introduction

When we look at the past, the original principle of building football clubs was based on a geographical principle. Most of the world’s leading clubs have begun to recruit the best foreign players from neighboring countries and from around the world [1]. This had an impact on the traditions and values that are an important part of the culture of a sports environment, because in sports organizations, traditional cultural values are deeply rooted. The dominant values represent the strongest standards that are maintained by the majority of the organization. The dominant values are part of the goals of the organization, and they underpin the philosophy and ideology of the organization [2]

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