European Professional Football Research Articles

The influence of the video assistance referee (VAR) on the English Premier League

ABSTRACT The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was introduced into football in order to assist referees in their decision making during the match. The English Premier League (EPL) introduced VAR in the 2019-2020 season. The aim of this study was to explore the influence of the introduction of VAR on the English Premier League. The sample includes all 380 matches played in the 2018-2019 season without VAR and all 380 matches played in the 2019-2020 season with VAR. The following nine variables were collected for each match: the first half time, the second half time, total time, goals, penalties, fouls, yellow cards, red cards and offsides. These variables were compared pre and post the introduction of VAR using means comparison and Mixed Linear Model (MLM). The results demonstrated that after the introduction of VAR, the first half time, second half time, total time and fouls increased significantly (p< 0.01). In contrast, a significant decrease (p< 0.01) was found in the number of offsides after the implementation of VAR. The findings may help football practitioners and fans better understand the impact of VAR on European top professional football leagues, particularly on the English Premier League and also help to optimise referees’ officiating strategies.

Skinfold thickness in elite male professional football players: changes across 3 seasons including a COVID-19 lockdown period

ABSTRACT This study investigates variations in skinfold thickness in a European professional football team within and across multiple seasons, including before and after COVID-19 restrictions. Skinfold thickness was measured in 49 male players on 32 occasions across three seasons (2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21). Intra- and inter-seasonal trends were examined by comparing values for the sum of eight skinfolds (sum8) at key time points using linear mixed models. In each season, the largest differences in sum8 occurred after the preseason period. These differences ranged from a mean difference (Mdiff) of −11.0 mm (p < 0.001) in 2018/19 to −4.8 mm (p < 0.001) in 2020/21. Increases in sum8 occurred after each off-season; however, the increase after the off-season before the 2020/21 season (which included the COVID-19 lockdown period) was the lowest in magnitude and was not statistically significant (Mdiff = 2.9 mm, p = 0.06). Changes occurring in sum8 between the start and end of the competitive season did not follow a consistent pattern and were generally smaller in magnitude than the changes between other seasonal time points. Despite the notable heterogeneity in sum8 between players, changes within players generally followed a similar pattern between the different seasonal timepoints. In summary, changes in skinfold thickness were predominantly related to off-season and ‘preparation for competition’ periods. Increases in skinfold thickness can be mitigated during extended remote training periods with appropriate training and nutritional strategies.

Comparative Analysis of Body Composition Profiles among Latin American Elite Football Players Competing in Europe

It has yet to be determined whether or not differences in body composition are present between international and non-international players playing in the same elite professional club competition. Similarly, it is not yet clear whether or not differences in body composition exist according to ethnic origin where relative homogeneity is to be expected among soccer players. There is no single anthropometric profile that guarantees sporting success, as success differs according to characteristics. The aim of this study was to assess the description, comparison, and correlation of the body composition profile of Latin American professional football players playing in European leagues. The sample was composed of 238 Latin American male football players from European professional football leagues of Spain, Italy and England during the competition period. Differences were found in all measures. The present study shows that Latin American professional football players playing in Europe have significant differences in various body composition variables such as weight, height, WC, skinfold and fat values. This means that training, revalidation after injury and the classifications of sporting performance carried out in European football clubs should take into account the anthropometric difference between Latin American and European players.

When new talent scores: The impact of human capital and the team socialization context on newcomer performance in professional sports teams.

This study integrates research on newcomer socialization and work teams to examine how the team environment facilitates or hinders the translation of human capital into newcomer performance in professional sports teams. Using large, multiyear and multilevel data from the top five European professional football leagues, we examine how individual-level newcomer human capital and the team-level characteristics (prior team performance, number of newcomers) influence individual newcomer performance during two different socialization contexts (when more vs. less time for socialization is provided). We found that individual human capital was positively related to newcomer performance across socialization contexts while the direct relationships between team variables and performance were conditional on the socialization context. Prior team performance was positively related to newcomer performance when more time for socialization was provided, but prior team performance as well as the number of newcomers were negatively related to newcomer performance when less time for socialization was provided. Beyond the direct relationships, our results show that human capital was less positively related to newcomer performance when newcomers joined higher performing teams across socialization contexts. These findings extend our understanding of the complex relationships between individual human capital and the team's socialization environment on newcomer performance and advance new knowledge regarding conditions that facilitate the success of newcomers who join existing (operating) teams. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

EVALUATION OF HAMSTRING MATCH INJURY FREQUENCY, INCIDENCE AND SEVERITY PATTERNS AMONG THE EUROPEAN TOP FIVE FOOTBALL LEAGUES DURING THE SEASON 2022/2023.

This study aims to explore the specific muscle injury types, nature of match injury frequency and match incidence of the European top five football leagues (UEFA, 2023), to compare match hamstring injury severity characteristics and to study differences in match injury, frequency and incidence between the five leagues during the season 2022/2023. The sample size was N= 2678 (SD ± 41.8) male players from the “Big Five” European professional football leagues with a mean age of 26.7 (SD ± 4.6) years and an average of 1303 minutes played per player with an average of a 27-player squad. A total number of 630 hamstring match injuries was recorded among the 98 clubs. Most of the injuries (N=298) required a two to four-week absence from football. The total playing exposure hours per league was 11,640.48, (SD ± 124.5). The severe injury patterns of severe injuries represent 28.6% of the total of all severity patterns, indicating an extremely high hamstring injury burden.

Spectator Violence in Football Matches in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province

Spectator violence is a phenomenon that has been associated with professional football in Europe. Issues of hooliganism, tribal tendencies and insecurity have found their place in African football. This paper interrogates issues of spectator violence in football in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province. The paper is grounded on frustration-aggression theory (Miller &amp; Dollard, 1939) in trying to determine the causes, nature and impact of violence in sports. A descriptive qualitative approach was adopted in which interviews were conducted to collect views, attitudes and opinions of the spectators, players, referees, and football clubs’ management. Document analysis augmented findings from interview schedules. Expert purposive sampling technique recruited thirty participants comprising of referees, managers, coaches, players, and spectators to establish causes of spectator violence in football. Participants were voluntarily selected and protected as they were assured of their anonymity and confidentiality. Findings from interviews and document analysis point out that spectator violence seems to be influenced by hooliganism, escapism, tribalism, and frustration in football among other issues. Seventy percent (70%) of the participants also indicated that matches are a representation of historical and ethnic conflicts between tribal groups, hence these tendencies trigger violence in form of hooliganism. On the other hand, 85 % of football managers pointed out that songs and chants in the stadia by football spectators trigger violence. There were 65% of the spectators who pointed to unfair calls by referees as an indicator of football violence. Similarly, 86% of the referees indicated that frustration and escapism by spectators promotes football violence when spectators try to settle scores and vent their anger through sports. Based on the findings, the study recommends that football should be taken as an industry where outreach programmes are held to educate the football players, spectators, managers, referees, and the nation at large. Conduct of the different personalities at matches should be imparted at grassroots level through schools, clubs, and media.

Risk factors for hamstring muscle injury in male elite football: medical expert experience and conclusions from 15 European Champions League clubs

ObjectivesTo describe the perceived importance of suggested hamstring injury risk factors according to chief medical officers (CMOs) of European male professional football clubs. A secondary objective was to compare if...

Fractures in professional footballers: 7-years data from 106 team seasons in the Middle East.

Epidemiological studies on fractures in European professional football (soccer) are in abundance. However, such data are lacking in Middle Eastern professional footballers and information on fracture treatment is scarce. The aim of this study is to describe the epidemiology of fractures across seven seasons in Qatar Stars League (QSL) footballers. A prospective study of fractures in professional male footballers over 7 consecutive seasons (2013 to 2020), involving 3255 players and 106 team' seasons. Time loss and injuries and illnesses were recorded using standardised digital tools in accordance with international consensus procedures. Fractures were recorded according to onset mechanism, location, diagnoses, treatment and return to play. A total of 108 players sustained fractures during 638,247 hours of player exposure (88.9% training and 11.1% matches), representing 2.7% of all time-loss injuries. The incidence was 0.17 fractures per 1000 h of exposure (match and training incidence of 0.9 and 0.07 fractures / 1000 h, respectively), equivalent to an average of one fracture per team per season. Fractures mostly occurred in the feet (28.2%), hands (21.1%), shoulders (11.3%) and head (i.e., face) (9.9%). Mean (median) absence was 71 (47 days), with 4.6% refractures. Only 34.3% of the fractures required surgery and nearly all players (98.1%) returned to play at the professional level. Almost all professional football players with fractures return to play at the same competitive level after an average of 10 weeks of absence (mean absence was 71 ± 81 (median: 47, Inter Quartile Range [14-93]) days). One in ten continue to play with symptoms and one in twenty may refracture. Long-term effects of fractures are still unknown.

The influence of intellectual capital on the financial performance of European professional football clubs

The influence of intellectual capital on the financial performance of European professional football clubs

Predicting transfer fees in professional European football before and during COVID-19 using machine learning

ABSTRACT Research question Our study aims to extend findings from previous efforts exploring the factors associated with transfer fees to and from all big five league clubs in European football (men) by building upon advances in machine learning, which allow to depart from linear functional forms. Furthermore, we provide a simple test of whether the transfer market has changed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Research methods A fully flexible random forest estimator as well as generalized and quantile additive models are used to analyze smooth (non-linear) effects across different quantiles of scraped data (including remaining contract duration) from transfermarkt.de (n = 3,512). While we train our models with a randomly drawn subsample of before-COVID-19 transfers, we compare the prediction accuracy for two subsets of test data, that is, before and during COVID-19. Results and findings Since our findings suggest several non-linear predictors of transfer fees, moving beyond linearity is insightful and relevant. Moreover, our models trained with before-COVID-19 data significantly underestimate the actual transfer fees paid during COVID-19 particularly for high- and medium-priced players, thus questioning any cooling-off effect of the transfer market. Implications In the discussion of our findings, we showcase how moving beyond linearity and modeling quantiles can be revealing for both research and practice. We discuss limitations such as sample selection issues and provide directions for future research.

Injury Burden in Professional European Football (Soccer): Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Economic Considerations.

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the injury burden and the related economic cost in European professional male football players. Multiple database research was performed up to August 5, 2022 (PubMed, EMbase, Scopus, Cochrane Library), including only studies that reported severity in the number of days of absence for each injury, incidence reported in the number of injuries/1000 hours, or reported number of injuries and exposure time and adult male football players, professionals from European clubs. Two reviewers extracted data and assessed paper quality with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology statement and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Twenty-two studies have reported incidence, severity, and burden of injuries in professional football. The highest injury burden was found for ligament-joint injuries (37.9 days/1000 hours; 222 397 €/1000 hours) and for muscle injuries (34.7 days/1000 hours; 203 620 €/1000 hours). Injury locations with high burden were knee injuries (34.8 days/1000 hours; 20 4206 €/1000 hours)-mainly anterior cruciate ligament injuries (14.4 days/1000 hours; 84 499 €/1000 h)-followed by thigh injuries (25.0 days/1000 hours; 146 700 €/1000 hours), hamstrings injuries (15.4 days/1000 hours; 90 367 €/1000 hours), hip-and-groin injuries (16.1 days/1000 hours; 94 475 €/1000 hours), primarily adductor muscles injuries (9.4 days/1000 hours; 55 159€/1000 hours), and ankle injuries (13.1 days/1000 h; 76 871 €/1000 hours) with ankle sprains (7.4 days/1000 hours; 43 423 €/1000 hours). Being exposed to injury risk has serious consequences for individual and club performance and economy. This review identified the most relevant targets in injury management, compared their injury data with reference values, and provided economic evidence when trying to gain buy-in from the key decision makers.

The league system, competitive balance, and the future of European football

ABSTRACT Research question Which combination of league system and competitive balance in European men’s club football maximises welfare, and which policies can improve the combination? Research methods Qualitative analysis is applied that uses the sport economics literature and other sources. An encompassing number of factors, insights and empirical results are considered to analyse systematically the options to reform European professional football. Results and findings In the present league system, competitive balance is decreasing which reduces welfare. In a system with a Super League, competitive balance can be higher. The last system also has other advantages, as well as disadvantages, in relation to issues such as the quality of play, the role of star players, chances to lift important trophies, regional and national sentiments and rivalries, and sporting meritocracy. After discussing these issues, it is concluded that a Super League system may improve future welfare. If, however, the present system regains a higher level of competitive balance, it may well generate a higher welfare level than a Super League. Two measures for improving competitive balance are a more equal distribution of broadcasting revenues and a progressive luxury tax. Practical implications At present, the measures above may seem to be infeasible. However, this can change if the competition authorities accept our interpretation of EU competition law and act accordingly. More generally, the government should become better aware of its potential to improve welfare in the football sector. Research contribution The paper provides a systematic analysis of the welfare effects of different options to reform Europe’s professional men football. Because of its broad approach it sheds new light on pressing issues and it provides insights for policymaking.

Do Politically Irrelevant Events Cause Conflict? The Cross-continental Effects of European Professional Football on Protests in Africa

AbstractWe examine whether politically irrelevant events can cause conflicts, by analyzing the effects of professional football games in Europe on protests in Africa—an unintended spillover across the continents. By expanding psychological theories, we argue that the outcomes of the football games in Europe can affect African people's subjective evaluation of domestic politicians, which in turn can trigger protests. By exploiting as-if random variation in the results of 15,102 close football games conditional on betting odds, we find that compared to draw games, close losses of African players’ teams increase peaceful protests in their original countries while not changing the likelihood of riots or armed conflicts. The effect is particularly large for non-ethnic protests targeted at a central government. Close losses also temporarily decrease people's trust in their country's leader. By contrast, close victories do not have equivalent or compensating effects on protests or public opinion. These results suggest asymmetric misattribution: people in Africa unreasonably blame domestic politicians for bad luck in European football games, prompting protests; but they do not credit politicians with football victories.

Measures for a Better Youth Development Environment in European Professional Football

Both UEFA and the EU institutions favour the local training of young sports players, to guarantee a healthy development of European sports and their players. Recent empirical research supports the idea that professional football players need initial experience in a domestic first team to realise successful careers, a requirement that is threatened by increasing international youth player mobility. Existing measures are scarce, mainly focus on a legal perspective and do not realise the envisaged objectives. This study has the objective to develop new measures to more easily retain young talents in their European domestic league, without limiting the free movement of professional players. This paper’s main contribution is the proposition of flexible, quantitative measures, based on microeconomic models, to (1) create a level playing field for player wages to increase the domestic league’s attractiveness for domestic players, (2) curtail player loans and (3) better reward clubs’ youth training efforts, while at the same time discouraging adverse international youth transfers. The impact on the overall competitive balance between leagues is assessed as well.

Home advantage in football after moving to a new stadium: evidence from European professional teams

ABSTRACT Familiarity with local conditions is considered one of the main causes of home advantage (HA) in sport, yet it has received little attention from the sports science community. This study aimed to establish whether moving to play in newly built stadiums influences the HA of European professional football teams. The sample comprised 98 teams from 25 different leagues affiliated with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). For each team, the analysis was done with six full seasons, three before and after the stadium relocation. A general linear model was fitted to the data including team ability as a covariate to calculate the HA. Tukey’s pairwise comparisons revealed that the adjusted HA did not differ between any pairs of seasons, demonstrating that moving to a new stadium did not change the HA. A complementary repeated-measure analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between HA and stadium attendance over the six seasons. Although there was a large-sized and significant increase in attendance after relocation (51.6%), a negligible correlation (rs = −0.02, p = 0.85) between the size of the increase and the change in HA was found. It was concluded that there is no consistent evidence that a change of stadium significantly affects the HA of professional football teams; nevertheless, there is likely to be a positive impact on revenue because of increased crowd support and interest from the local community. Building a new and modern stadium is a positive strategy that can be adopted by football clubs without the expectation of change in HA.

Stimulating the adoption of green practices by professional football organisations: a focus on stakeholders’ pressures and expected benefits

ABSTRACT The authors investigate drivers and expected outcomes of the adoption of environmental practices by football organizations. Based on a survey of European professional football organizations, the authors examine the influence of stakeholders’ pressures on adopting environmental practices, distinguishing between operational and governance practices. The relationship between the adoption of environmental practices and expected benefits is examined. The results partially support the hypothesis of the study, highlighting pressures from market and societal stakeholders as relevant drivers of environmental sustainability in the football sector and identifying a wide range of expected benefits resulting from the adoption of operational and governance practices.

The impact of money prizes from UEFA competitions on clubs' national performance

Purpose This work aims to analyse money prizes awarded in European football club competitions organised by UEFA and the impact of these prizes on club performance in National Leagues. In pursuing this objective, the authors discuss the overall effect on the competitiveness of national leagues. The ultimate goal is to provide valuable insights and useful indications relating to the future of National and European Professional Football Competitions, a topic of increasingly heated debate. The authors specifically address the possible creation of a European Super League.Design/methodology/approach In order to test the specific impact of UEFA money prizes on clubs' national performance, the authors applied two multiple regression models, with a sample of clubs participating in four out of the big five National Leagues in European Football over the period 2013–2108. The authors used a series of economic variables as control variables, in keeping with previous studies on similar topics as presented in the literature review.Findings The results of the analyses show that money prizes have a significant and specific impact on European club competitions organised by UEFA in terms of improving national sport performances for clubs participating in said competitions. More in detail, the authors found this degree of impact not only in the season when this money was awarded but also in the following season.Originality/value The originality of the paper lies in the empirical demonstration of the role of European competitions (via UEFA money prizes impacting clubs' national performances) in consolidating a general downward trend in competitive balance in the most important European Leagues.

Toward an enduring football economy: a business model taxonomy for Europe's professional football clubs

ABSTRACT Research question We identify the key components of the business models (BMs) of professional European football clubs, introducing a structured business model approach to sport management and presenting a BM taxonomy. Research methods To derive a picture of European football clubs’ BMs, we develop a BM taxonomy in three iterations. In the first step, we conduct a structured literature review. Second, we analyse case studies and subsequently examine 98 real-world objects. We utilise the 98 clubs as real-world objects of Europe's top five leagues during the 2018/19 season, the last complete season prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Results and findings Our taxonomy, consisting of 63 characteristics allocated to 13 dimensions, shows and structures the components of European football clubs’ value creation mechanisms. Our evaluation shows that the clubs follow different BMs, proving our taxonomy's applicability. Implications We contribute to theory by identifying and illustrating the existence of different BMs in European professional football. Further, our taxonomy assists club managers to analyse their BMs, enabling them to improve their managerial performance for sustainable success and to avoid mismanagement.

Analysis of more than 20,000 injuries in European professional football by using a citizen science-based approach: An opportunity for epidemiological research?

ObjectivesIt has been claimed that analyses of large datasets from publicly accessible, open-collaborated (“citizen science-based”) online databases may provide additional insight into the epidemiology of injuries in professional football. However, this approach comes with major limitations, raising critical questions about the current trend of utilizing citizen science-based data. Therefore, we aimed to determine if citizen science-based health data from a popular online database on professional football players can be used for epidemiological research, i.e. in providing results comparable to other data sources used in previously published studies. DesignRetrospective database analysis. MethodsTransfermarkt.com (Transfermarkt; Hamburg; Germany) is a publicly accessible online database on various data of professional football players. All information provided in the section “injury history” of football players from the top five European leagues over a period of ten seasons (2009/10–2018/19) was analyzed. Frequency, characteristics, and incidence of injuries were reported according to seasons and countries, and results compared with three previously published databases (a scientific injury surveillance, a media-based study, and an insurance database). ResultsOverall, 21,598 injuries of 11,507 players were analyzed from the Transfermarkt.com database. Incidence was 0.63 injuries per player-season (95% confidence interval 0.62 to 0.64) but significant differences between subgroups (countries, years) were found. In comparison to other databases, citizen science-based data was associated with lower injury incidences and higher proportions of severe injuries. ConclusionsWith few exceptions (e.g., severe injuries), the use of citizen science-based health data on professional football players cannot be recommended at present for epidemiological research.

On-Match Impact and Outcomes of Scoring First in Professional European Female Football.

Background: Scoring first seems to be a determinant in professional football playing; several factors could influence the development of the match and the outcome. This study aimed to identify which factors could influence scoring first and impact match outcomes in professional European female football. Methods: There were 504 official matches held on 74 match days during the 2018–2019 professional female European football seasons (Primera Iberdrola, D1 Féminine, and Frauen-Bundesliga), analysed using a notational and inferential assessment. Results: There was a direct positive relationship (p < 0.05) between scoring first and winning the match; 75.9% of the winning teams scored first. Moreover, those teams that usually scored first had a better final league classification (p < 0.05). These relationships were not influenced by home or away conditions. Conclusions: Scoring first is a determinant in the outcomes of professional European female football matches. Physical and tactical training and programming should focus on those variables, leading female teams to score first.