Internationalisation strategy in sport: the case of Flamengo, the largest Brazilian football club

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research question The present study analyses an emerging market (EM) football club and its internationalisation strategy, seeking to understand its motivations, perceived competitive advantages, strategies and targets. In doing so, we highlight differences from major European clubs’ strategies. Research methods An in-depth case study was conducted with Flamengo, the wealthiest and most popular Brazilian football club. As sources of information, we counted on four formal in-depth interviews; observation, and informal interactions during 123 meetings with different actors; and 1,527 pages of secondary data, all duly coded and triangulated. Results and findings EM clubs’ internationalisation strategies seem to be influenced by their outsider position in the central network of clubs and leagues. Such outsidership influences the advantages they choose to exploit, their strategies, and market selection. Implications This study contributes to filling literature gaps with direct practical implications regarding (1) multi-club ownership, understudied as a mode of internationalisation; (2) the internationalisation process of EM football clubs, to date unexplored; and (3) the comparison of the Latin American/EM club model to the mainstream European club mode of management and internationalisation.