Stakeholders In Football Research Articles

Dampak VAR Terhadap Keputusan Wasit dan Kualitas Pertandingan Sepak Bola

Football, as the world's most popular sport, has undergone significant changes with the introduction of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology. Designed to enhance referee decision accuracy through video replays, VAR has been widely adopted in major competitions despite initial controversy. Studies have shown its effectiveness in reducing referee errors in crucial incidents such as goals, penalties, and red cards. In Indonesia, VAR usage could enhance fairness and reduce match controversies, although domestic leagues currently rely on referees without technological assistance. While VAR offers numerous benefits, including improved referee standards and viewer experience, criticism regarding game flow disruption and inconsistent application persists. Moving forward, it is crucial to balance accuracy and fairness with the excitement of the game and ensure good collaboration among all football stakeholders.

The key themes of issues and challenges in developing the quality framework for football coaching education in Malaysia

Sports coaching education and development has consistently been a topic of discussion on a global scale. Coaching education is considered to be essential for both sustaining and improving the quality of sports coaching. The development of a quality framework for sports education will serve as a guide to ensure consistency, relevance, and effectiveness in coaching and enable coaches to optimise athlete development and performance. This study aims to discuss the issues and challenges of developing the Malaysia Football Coaching Education Quality Framework. This study uses the qualitative method of Evolved Grounded Theory (EGT). The data from five football coaches (n=5) nationwide from the National Sports School, State Sports School, District Training Centre and Tunas Academy representing the executing group and five football stakeholders (n=5) representing the management group were collected from semii-structured in-depth interviews, observations and writing documents to determine the main issues and challenges. The data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using Atlas.ti software through open coding, axial coding and selective coding processes. The following three themes emerged in the context of issues and challenges in developing the Malaysia Football Coaching Education Quality Framework: 1) Accredited Coaching Course/Coaching Certification, 2) Opportunity to Attend Coaching Course, and 3) Coaching Syllabus. Therefore, the findings will help national football stakeholders develop the Malaysia Football Coaching Education Quality Framework. Through this framework, stakeholders and governing bodies can cooperate to upgrade the existing program and improve the quality of football coaching education in Malaysia. In fact, quality football coaches can help to produce quality footballers in Malaysia. In addition, the Malaysia Football Coaching Education Quality Framework can become a guideline for football coaches in Malaysia

Financial burden of anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions in football (soccer) players: an Australian cost of injury study

ObjectivesTo estimate the financial burden of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions in amateur football (soccer) players in Australia over a single year, including both direct and indirect cost.MethodsAvailable national direct...

Heading in Football: insights from stakeholders in amateur football

ABSTRACT Despite emerging research questioning the long-term effect of purposeful heading on players’ brain health, heading-related perspectives and behaviours of stakeholders in amateur football in Australia (a country without heading guidelines) remain unknown. This study aimed to explore the current heading-related perspectives and behaviours of football stakeholders. In total, 290 players (aged over 11 years), 54 coaches, 34 non-coaching staff and 14 medical staff completed the survey. Of the 290 players, 56.5% reported being formally trained in heading, with female players less likely to be trained than male players (p < 0.05). Players were the least concerned about the long-term effects of heading, while medical staff were the most concerned (33.1% and 57.1%, respectively). From proposed strategies to reduce heading burden, a heading ban for all ages was least popular (2.3%), while teaching heading technique was most popular (67.3%). Our study provides insights into football stakeholders’ heading-related perspectives, which could be used, along with scientific evidence, to inform pragmatic future heading guidelines.

Obstacles and opportunities for injury prevention in professional football in Qatar: exploring the implementation reality

BackgroundResearch focusing on reducing the risk of injuries has increased over the last two decades showing that prevention implementation in real life is challenging.ObjectiveTo explore the experience and opinions of...

Views of Turkish football stakeholders on video assistant referee technology

The purpose of this study was to carry out an in-depth examination of the views of Turkish football stakeholders on "video assistant referee" technology. The stakeholder sample consisted of 18 male participants, comprising a referee board member, referees, observers, club managers, footballers, coaches, press members and fans. Semistructured interviews provided the data. A descriptive analysis of the data was then undertaken. In the participants' opinions, the main purpose of the VAR Technology is greater fairness, increased objectivity, referee development, reduction in errors, prevention of critical mistakes, and to avoid spoiling the nature of football. The participants' views on the implementation of the VAR Technology were divided into two components the effect on referee behaviour and the impact on the match performance. While the positive effects regarding referee behaviours were referees' making correct decisions, preventing the unfair loss of points, reducing referee mistakes, improvement of the referees, the negative outcome was an increased discussion of referees. The impact on match performance was evaluated negatively by the participants. The reasons were loss of time, loss of naturalness, getting distanced from the match, a decrease in excitement, and loss of motivation. Lastly, the participants’ opinion about the future for VAR Technology was that the use of this technology will continue develop in the coming years and should be supported.

The Capture of EU Football Regulation by the Football Governing Bodies

AbstractThe article traces how European football regulation has been ‘captured’ by the football governing bodies. The European Commission re‐aligned with the European football governing body Union des Associations Européennes de Football (UEFA), which enabled the latter to solidify its role as industry regulator. Four factors seem to account for the successful capture of European football regulation by UEFA. (1) UEFA enjoys a substantial mobilization advantage. (2) As legitimacy maximizer, the Commission avoids unnecessary confrontations. (3) Substantial interest heterogeneity amongst football stakeholders such as clubs, players and leagues prevented the emergence of strong countervailing constituencies to oppose UEFA regulatory proposals. (4) The legacy of amateur ideology in European football nurtures a strong socio‐cultural regulatory frame, which depicts the football governing bodies as trustees of the public interest in football as community institution. The findings come with implications for EU football regulation and the limits of the EU regulatory state.

Development of the Effect of Video Assistant Referee Application on Football Parameters

The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) application is a technological development that gives referees the chance to review their critical decisions. The current study aimed to determine the effect of the VAR system in international football organizations on the game over the years. The sample of the study consists of 115 football matches, specifically 64 matches played in the 2018 FIFA World Cup and 51 matches played in the 2020 European Football Championship. In the competitions handled, the number of goals, the number of yellow cards, the number of red cards, the first half time, the second half time, the total match time, the number of penalties and the number of offsides were examined. The Mann–Whitney U test was used to compare two independent groups. As a result, in the 2020 European Football Championship, there was a decrease in the second half time (p = 0.01) and total match time (p = 0.01), and a significant increase in the number of offsides (p = 0.03) compared to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On the other hand, there was no significant difference between the two tournaments in the variables of number of goals, number of yellow cards, number of red cards, half time and penalty shootout (p &gt; 0.05). In light of the data obtained, it can be said that the effect of the VAR system on the spirit of the game will decrease as the share of the VAR system in the pauses during the competition decreases over the years. The data revealed in the study may be a clue to explaining why the effect of the VAR system on game dynamics and game spirit has decreased over the years. Therefore, the concerns of football stakeholders about the effects of the system on the game may gradually decrease with the arrangements made for VAR.

Perceptions of role ambiguity for Sporting Directors in professional football

ABSTRACT The Sporting Director is one strategy football clubs have adopted to protect their financial sustainability. Little to no research has been undertaken on the Sporting Director role in football. This article draws upon a qualitative methodology to examine perceptions and practices related to the role and its potential implications in football’s growing global business. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with senior stakeholders in football (N = 21). The data was thematically analysed. Findings indicate that the Sporting Director role would be a strategic benefit for football clubs, however several issues related to role ambiguity. The novel empirical insight surrounds three key themes, notably the perception of the role, job description clarity and communication. The study provides novel insights into the elite football stakeholder perceptions of the Sporting Directors. This research offers decision-makers considerations for developing the Sporting Director role in football and recommendations for future research.

Managing for stakeholders in football: conflicts arising from the goals and behaviour of active Fans

ABSTRACT As one of the main stakeholders, active football fans have a strong impact on clubs. The aim of this paper is to show how this impact creates conflicts with other stakeholders and affects club policy. In order to do so, stakeholder theory is used and 27 expert interviews with German representatives of all important stakeholders were conducted. The main fields of conflict identified were: (1) the handling and punishment of pyrotechnics; (2) the possibility of allowing active fans to influence elections; and (3) the overall commercialization. However, some of the conflicts are strongly interlinked and should not be considered separately. As tensions often arise because of conflicts of interest and a lack of dialogue between different stakeholders, it seems important for clubs to act as a mediator and to encourage these stakeholders to engage in dialogue. The joint dialogue should also develop joint long-term solutions for recurring conflict topics.

UEFA and the Super League: who is calling who a cartel?

The football industry finds itself at a turning point. Through the recent rise and steep fall of the Super League, the concept of a super breakaway league in football is once again at the center of the discussions among football stakeholders. Whilst the key discussion points of such breakaway projects seem to be primarily of a commercial and political nature, EU competition law could also have a crucial impact on the success rate of these initiatives. Sports governing bodies often build in control mechanisms which require their consent prior to the establishment of new third-party competition, often complemented with a severe sanctioning mechanism for athletes participating in non-authorized events. In the ISU case, the European Commission and the General Court found such an ex-ante control mechanism to be contrary to EU competition law in certain circumstances. This Article will analyze UEFA’s ex-ante control system in light of the decision in the ISU case. If the football pyramid desires to uphold its control mechanism it should introduce objective, non-discriminatory, transparent, and proportionate criteria, as well as proportionate sanctions. This article will also analyze whether the Super League's own set-up is compliant with EU competition law.

Forecasting football results and exploiting betting markets: The case of “both teams to score”

The continuous growth of available football data presents unprecedented research opportunities for a better understanding of football dynamics. While many research works focus on predicting which team will win a match, other interesting questions, such as whether both teams will score in a game, are still unexplored and have gained momentum with the rise of betting markets. With this in mind, we investigate the following research questions in this paper: “How difficult is the ‘both teams to score’ (BTTS) prediction problem?”, “Are machine learning classifiers capable of predicting BTTS better than bookmakers?”, and “Are machine learning classifiers useful for devising profitable betting strategies in the BTTS market?”. We collected historical football data, extracted groups of features to represent the teams’ strengths, and fed these to state-of-the-art classification models. We performed a comprehensive set of experiments and showed that, although hard to predict, in some scenarios it is possible to outperform bookmakers, which are robust baselines per se. More importantly, in some cases it is possible to beat the market and devise profitable strategies based on machine learning algorithms. The results are encouraging and, besides shedding light on the problem, may provide novel insights for all kinds of football stakeholders.

EXTENT TO WHICH RISK TRANSFER STRATEGIES AFFECT TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE OF FOOTBALL EVENTS IN NAIROBI COUNTY, KENYA

Football organizations have been facing various challenges in Kenya ranging from management problems and event security threats which have been addressed in various continents. However limited has been done to address these challenges in Kenya. Triple bottom line (TBL) measures are critical to any organization and paramount for successful planning and organizing of sports events in today’s world. The link between risk management strategies and TBL measures of football events seems to be unclear in Kenya. The study therefore sought to investigate the risk transfer strategies employed by the Footbal events in Kenya. The study hypothesized that the risk transfer strategies do not significantly affect TBL of football events in Nairobi, Kenya. The target population was 882 football stakeholders that comprised Federation of Kenya Football (FKF) organizers, Kenya Premier League (KPL) organizers, officiators, footballers and cheer leaders/fans out of which 268 formed the sample size. Instruments for collecting data included self-administered questionnaires, interview schedules and observation check list. Ten (10) managers of sports management bodies and administrative bodies were interviewed. The study employed both descriptive and explanatory research designs. Simple random sampling and stratified sampling techniques were used to select respondents to participate in the study. Data was analyzed using both descriptive statistics (frequencies, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (linear multiple regression). The study, therefore, recommends the need for football organizations to invest in risk control measures such as providing security in entry and exit points as well as insurance covers for both participants and spectators in order to transfer risks and attain TBL of football events. In addition sports management bodies need to sensitize football stakeholders on various risks that arise in football events. The findings from this study may benefit the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Arts, Football organizing bodies such as Federation of Kenya Football, Kenya Premier League and other football stakeholders in formulation of policies aimed at managing and minimizing risks of football events.

Football Spectator Violence During Matches at the Zimbabwe Football Association Division One Level in Gweru District

Background: A number of football matches in Gweru district have been characterised by undesirable acts of spectator violence resulting in injury and malicious damage to property. Football spectator violence is a very negative phenomenon in football because it chases away sponsors who do not want their organisations and brands to be associated with hooliganism. Violence also discourages spectators from attending football matches as they fear for their safety. This status quo precipitated the need to identify football stakeholders’ perceptions on the causes of spectator violence during football matches at Division One level in Gweru District. Aims: The primary aim and focus of this study was to investigate spectator violence among football spectators in Gweru district in Zimbabwe. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to identify the main causes of football spectator violence and recommend strategies to mitigate or even eliminate this scourge. Study Setting: The study was conducted in Gweru district in the midlands province of Zimbabwe. Materials and Methods: The study adopted the quantitative research approach utilising the descriptive survey design. Closed questionnaires were used to collect data from, twenty division one footballers from four Gweru division one football clubs, twenty spectators, six football referees and four coaches. This resulted in a total sample of fifty (50) respondents. Simple random sampling (Gold Fish Bowl procedure) was used to select the twenty players and six referees. Purposive sampling was used to select the four coaches and twenty football spectators. Statistics: Data was analysed statistically using simple frequency tables. Results and Conclusion: The study revealed that spectator violence during football matches at division one level in Gweru is mainly a result of hooliganism, controversial refereeing, lack of fair play by footballers in the field of play, outcome of matches, rivalry between clubs and euphoria. Factors such as use of juju, prestige seeking by spectators and reporting of violence by the media were found to be minor contributors towards football spectator violence during football matches in Gweru district. Recommendations: The study recommends that the Zimbabwe republic police who provide security during these violent matches should tighten security at football matches by searching all fans thoroughly for dangerous weapons and alcohol at stadia entry points. ZIFA and PSL should educate all football clubs on the negative effects of violence and punish offending teams severely. The clubs should educate their fans to shun violence. Sponsors should include funds in their sponsorship packages for purposes of educating fans on violence. Soccer players should lead by example and avoid provoking other team’s fans

Meaningful change or ‘more of the same’: the voluntary recruitment code in men’s professional football coaching in England

ABSTRACT This article offers an original empirical and theoretically grounded examination of the English Football League’s (EFL) Voluntary Recruitment Code (VRC): a positive action intervention designed to establish inclusive practices of coach recruitment and increase the representation of minoritised coaches in first team coaching operations at men’s professional football clubs in England. In doing so, it draws on semi-structured interviews with Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) at clubs (n = 5), football stakeholder representatives (n = 14) and minoritised coaches (n = 26) to ascertain their perceptions, experiences, and reflections in relation to three inter-connected areas of focus. Firstly, the operational and attitudinal implementation of the VRC at clubs. Secondly, the effectiveness of the VRC in engendering its intended operational and representational impacts at clubs. Thirdly, critical reflections as to the ways in which the VRC might be reformulated and reimplemented to stimulate the conditions through which equality of opportunities, experiences, and outcomes for minoritised coaches might be realised. Finally, the article will conclude from a Critical Race Theory (CRT) perspective that racial equality measures of this kind should be strongly interventionist and transformational in their policy intentions and ideological scope, and seek to challenge and disrupt dominant liberal discourses of meritocracy, race-neutrality, colour-blindness, and the normativity of Whiteness in professional football coaching contexts. In doing so, the article calls on the EFL to work consultatively with member clubs, football stakeholders, and minoritised coaches to develop a holistic legislative and pedagogical approach to tackling racialised inequities in football coaching, which incorporate strongly regulated and reformatory positive actions.

Infographics. Football-specific strategies to reduce COVID-19 transmission

Football stakeholders have been advised to exercise caution when determining when to reintroduce professional football due to the risks of COVID-19 overburdening health services and also concerns regarding potential negative...

On the finalisation of international football transfers and professional football players’ contracts

Dynamic decision-making processes in the football transfer market, intense rivalry for top talents, and rapid development of communication technologies enable clubs and players to negotiate simultaneously with many entities. Although these phenomena may, sometimes, seem beneficial to the actors of a football market, they also can create some serious legal problems. Football clubs withdraw from transferring a player, in favour of another prospective signing, even at some very late stage of negotiations. Similarly, football players negotiate with clubs, and sign preliminary agreements, but then refuse to conclude a final contract. Confusion and uncertainty about the legal situation are increased by differences between legal cultures that are represented by different football stakeholders. This article aims to discuss the practical aspects of unfinished football transactions. It attempts to define the criteria of finalisation of professional football contracts and international transfer agreements. It also presents arguments for claims regarding breaches of pre-contractual and contractual obligations of football stakeholders. In this article, it is argued that the jurisprudence of football judicial and arbitration bodies distinguishes between preliminary agreements, draft contracts, and final contracts. They set clear principles regarding the calculation of compensation for breaching pre-contractual and contractual obligations. They also offer a legal basis for claims based on negligent, unfair, or disloyal negotiating, although these are still very rare in football dispute resolution.

Digital sport entrepreneurial ecosystems

AbstractThe entrepreneurial ecosystems literature has increasingly explored network relationships between different stakeholders, as well as the role of context. This article addresses the challenge of including a sport context in the entrepreneurial ecosystem literature thereby contributing to the sport entrepreneurship literature by bringing insights from entrepreneurship ecosystem research. In‐depth interviews of football stakeholders in the sport entrepreneurship ecosystem are conducted in terms of understanding the emergence of digital sport start‐ups. The issues raised help explore the changing nature of digital entrepreneurial ecosystems to take into account new sport technological advances. Mixed embeddedness theory is used as the conceptual foundation to understand sport digital entrepreneurial ecosystems. Key management practices are identified in terms of sport start‐ups participating in entrepreneurial ecosystems. The article concludes by making suggestions for future research.

Sustainability Challenges in Professional Football: The Destructive Effects of the Society of the Spectacle

For a long time considered as a simple means of entertainment, football (soccer) has now become a main element of the society of the spectacle, with huge economic and financial stakes. A series of competitions are managed to generate significant revenues shared by international institutions (including FIFA), private companies and star players. This paper points out that professional football is engaged in a headlong rush, including the irrational use of non-renewable resources and frantic consumption among fans, especially of licensed merchandise. Dialogue between football stakeholders and the advocates of sustainability has become difficult, as evidenced by the conditions under which the 2022 FIFA World Cup will take place in Qatar, with three major controversies: initial controversies in the choice of host country; environmental controversies about stadium air conditioning; and future controversies regarding the importance of sustainability in the allocation of the next FIFA World Cups.

FIFA Transfer Sisteminde Çocuk Haklarının Korunması

The protection of minors is an important legal and social issue which concerns all stakeholders. Recently, the high mobility level of minors within the football industry has raised questions about their welfare and rights. Particularly, the exposure of young players to emotional and physical harm, financial exploitation, and human trafficking through engaging with football are the most crucial subjects in this field. This fact has been motivated international, regional and national football authorities like the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to develop a necessary legal framework for the protection of children. International agreements such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the national legislations of the States that are parties to these agreements have not been adequate to provide child athletes with enough protection from emotional and physical harm, economical exploitation and human trafficking. With a view to protecting minors from the detrimental impacts of such practices, FIFA, together with other stakeholders in football, has developed and implemented strict regulations for international transfers. Originally adopted and introduced in 2001, the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP) that govern the international transfer of minors, went through modifications in 2005, 2009, and 2015 to expand its scope to improve the protection given to young players. In this paper the protection of child rights shall be considered and reviewed under the FIFA and UEFA rules and regulations in the light of the CAS decisions. This is because the CAS has been an integral part of this regulatory regime for not only being a supreme arbitral authority resolving disputes related to the violations of the framework by football stakeholders but for also clarifying its practical operation through its jurisprudence by examining and interpreting its specific provisions.