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How has the Europeanisation of football at the level of governance (due to for example the effects of the Bosman ruling and the formation of the UEFA Champions League) – influenced the identities of football fans? This paper explores how such structural Europeanisation in football is influencing identifications among fans. Based on an analysis of articulations in selected online message boards, we distil the positioning of fans towards 'Europe' in football, and the factors which shape it. We control for three main avenues of impact: the club level, the league level, and the societal context. Our inquiry is based on a set of paired comparisons of fan scenes for football clubs in four different European countries. Results show that the factor carrying the most explanatory power is the club's participation in European-level competition. Although this broadly confirms a 'contact hypothesis' – according to which the more fans are exposed to cross-border contacts, the less relevance they attribute to aspects of national belonging – significant variations of how frequent exposure to European-level competition translates into more Europeanised perceptions do exist. For European identity studies, the work corroborates that a lifeworld arena such as football can foster Europeanised identifications, albeit not in a uniform manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to compare match performance in the group and knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) for players in different playing positions. The information on physical and technical performances was collected during all UCL matches (n=125) in the 2022/23 season. Players' observations (n=1387) were classified according to their playing positions as central defender (CD; n=471), fullback (FB; n=283), central midfielder (CM; n=376), winger (WM; n=137) and forward (FW; n=104). No differences in technical performance between the group and knockout stage were found for CDs, FBs, CMs, and WMs, while only FWs achieved significantly less shots on target (Cohen's d (d=0.46), total passes (d=0.54), successful passes (d=0.49), and more duels (d=0.39) in the knockout compared to the group stage. The CDs, CMs, and WMs covered greater distance at moderate (d=0.46-0.63) and high (d=0.29-0.38) speeds in the knockout compared to the group stage, while no differences in physical performance between the group and knockout stage were found for FBs and FWs. This study demonstrated that (i) the technical performance of UCL players was in general stable irrespective of the competition stage, (ii) matches played in the knockout stage were characterized by greater match intensity compared to the matches played in the group stage of UCL for CDs, CMs, and WMs. These findings may help football coaches in the decision-making process when selecting the players for specific matches and designing training programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this article is to examine whether the design of a national league affects the sports performance of clubs in UEFA international competitions. Research Design & Methods: We conducted regression analyses of data on the sport performance of football clubs in UEFA competitions over five years. We analysed a total of 260 observations and explained the variability of points earned in UEFA competitions by the format and calendar of domestic league competitions. We also considered control variables, including league revenues, concentration ratios, and time. Findings: All seven estimated models demonstrated a good fit for the empirical data (adj. R2>0.80). However, we found that neither the domestic league format nor the season calendar (winter or summer) applied by the league were significant in the models. Noteworthy, revenues per club in the league were the primary explanatory factor for international sports performance, while concentration ratios had a positive but minor effect. Implications & Recommendations: The study provides football league governing bodies with insights that suggest league design should not be seen as a direct means for enhancing clubs' achievements in international competition. Moreover, it demonstrates that maximizing competition attractiveness through modifications in league design does not necessarily entail a trade-off with maximizing international performance. Contribution & Value Added: We employed league design as a specific aspect of the home country's institutional framework and contributed to the institutional-based view of international competitiveness. Our study illustrates that the institutional organization of domestic competition does not significantly impact actors' competitiveness abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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European soccer clubs tend to spend beyond their revenues, causing disruptions in their finances. To minimize these disruptions, UEFA enacted the Financial Fair Play Regulations (FFP). FFP achieves its objectives through the "break-even" requirement, which prohibits clubs from spending beyond their revenues. This article argues that FFP violates Articles 101 and 102 TFEU. While there has been scholarly interest in FFP's incompatibility with competition law, the focus has been on Article 101. In addition to contributing to the scholarship on FFP's violation of Article 101, this article presents arguments on how FFP violates Article 102. This article then explores UEFA's interactions with European regulators as a backdrop for explaining why regulators have failed to address FFP's violation of Articles 101 and 102. This article concludes by arguing that a change to FFP is imminent and suggests a novel method through which UEFA can maintain FFP's objectives while complying with competition law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]