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An economic analysis of the discrepancies among and within the five biggest European football championships

Schunck, Daniel
(2017)

Files

SchunckDaniel_64881000_2017.pdf
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Details

Supervisors
Belleflamme, Paul
Faculty
Louvain School of Management
Degree label
Master [120] en Ingénieur de gestion
Abstract
Nowadays, the flow of financial funds in football is not hidden. The European clubs are profit-driven and the finances represent a vital element of football. This situation is influenced by inequalities in different parts of the European football such as the transfer fees, the wages, the attraction of fans, the sponsors, the television rights, the external investors, the stadium attendance and the pre-season matches. They all contain inequalities due to discrepancies of legislation, consequently creating loopholes and impacting the football system as it currently exists. This master thesis analyses those inequalities among and within the five biggest European football championships, being: the English Premier League, the Spanish La Liga Santander, the Italian Serie A, the German Bundesliga and the French Ligue 1. All those elements, once added together, create an important unequal situation. In the long term, this inequality could negatively impact football by harming the competitive balance, which defines the attractiveness of the sport. The more the fixtures are competitively balanced, meaning the outcome is uncertain, the more interested the fans will be to watch that fixture. This mechanism applies for a particular game as well as for an entire season. To avoid a complete lack of competitive balance, and therefore of attractiveness, various possible solutions are suggested. From a more flexible transfer system to a salary cap, passing by a revenue sharing, these options, even if not flawless, seem possible. They would direct the European football towards a fairer and more equal system. Nevertheless, the main reason these solutions seem improbable is the power the biggest clubs have on the decisional organisations. A paradox exists; these big clubs control the game because the game needs them. Any unwanted solution would activate the threat of leaving and creating a competition on their own.