The Other Side of the “League of Stars”: Analysis of the Financial Situation of Spanish Football

This paper analyses the effectiveness of the financial control system implemented by the Spanish professional football League in 2015 as a tool to improve the governance of clubs in the first and second divisions as well as its probable impact on competition. Classic financial ratios are used to analyse the financial situation of the clubs both before and after the implementation of the Regulation, as well as during the first season affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Next, the Herfindahl index is calculated to measure the concentration in the distribution of the main funding sources and is incorporated as a dependent variable in a regression model. Although a cause–effect relationship is not certain, the results suggest that the economic control measures imposed by LFP have contributed to improving the financial situation of Spanish football in the short term, but may promote imbalances between clubs that undermine the sustainability of the current management model and, therefore, of the competition system. Unlike in other sectors, the football business requires more competition to maximise profits. In this context, it would be advisable to reach agreements between clubs to weaken the bargaining position of footballers. The paper shows the effect of the intervention of a regulatory body, in this case, LFP, in the functioning of a competitive market

Transparency and accountability in sports: measuring the social and financial performance of spanish professional football

This study reviews the impact of the Spanish Transparency Law (TL) 19/2013 and the Union of European Football Associations’ (UEFA) Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations, on the transparency and accountability of Spanish professional football clubs, and examines the influence of financial performance on the transparency of Spanish football clubs. The study uses a Panel Data methodology (FGLS) to compare the international transparency index for football clubs (INFUT) with the criteria of UEFA’s FFP as a measure of the social and financial performance, respectively, on a sample of 28 Spanish professional teams of first and second division during the periods of 2015, 2016, and 2019. The study reveals that the implementation of TL 19/2013 and UEFA’s FFP has improved the transparency and accountability of clubs. On the one hand, the TL has facilitated access to financial information, and, on the other, the FFP regulations have contributed to improving the balance and financial viability of the clubs. The study also reveals that financial performance directly influences the transparency of clubs

Raiders of the Olympic Values: Perception of the Development of Women’s Canoeing in Spain for Tokyo 2021

Although canoeing is one of the oldest sports in the Olympic program, it was not until the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 that women’s canoeing was first included in the competition. This fact has posed a challenge to the initiation and technification systems of countries in order to obtain competitive results, particularly in Spain, as it is one of the sports that contributed the most medals to the Olympic medal tally. The aim of this study was to evaluate the promotion and development of talent in women’s canoeing in Spain for its first-ever Olympic participation. For this purpose, an analytical survey (n = 167) was carried out, the answers to which were contrasted by gender and modality practiced. The results showed a positive evaluation of the current position in flatwater female canoeing regarding talent that is consistent with the competitive results achieved. Additionally, we found that the gender of the respondents influences their perception of the age of sport initiation and the suitability of the progression in the competition systems for the promotion of women’s canoeing in Spain. Therefore, the results of the questionnaire will facilitate a quick diagnosis of critical aspects by sport managers, allowing them to take corrective actions in time for the development of female canoeists and, at the same time, to promote future studies that delve deeper into these topics