By finishing third rather than second in the group-stage of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League (CL), teams drop down to participate in the Europa league (EL), ...theoretically a weaker pan-European cup competition. Win-maximisers may adopt this tactic if success matters, as only four teams have won the CL when finishing second in their group. However, prior research finds that teams that play in the CL receive spill-over effects that improve domestic performance. In contrast, this paper finds that domestic performance is unharmed when dropping into the EL, suggesting that the spill-over benefits from CL participation occur in the group-phase.
The object of this publication is to explore the legal limits of a European Super League. Like the ECJ in Case C-333/21, the author examines the question of whether UEFA may regulate breakaway ...competitions and sanction clubs and players for participating in such competitions in order to protect the established structures of the European sports model. Unlike the ECJ, he also analyses the compatibility of UEFA's new authorisation rules governing international club competitions (edition 2022) with EU antitrust law. Furthermore, the subject of the work is the admissibility of a closed European Super League under EU antitrust law.
We investigate how the goal-scoring probability in international club soccer evolves after player substitutions.
To this end, we analyse rich data concerning 2,025 recent soccer games played in the ...two most prestigious club soccer competitions, i.e. the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.
As first in the literature, we control for within-game dynamics by applying a minute-by-minute bivariate probit approach.
We find that teams experience increased goal-scoring probabilities after their first and second substitution and a decreased probability of scoring after the three substitutions made by their opponent. This association is less distinct during the first 3 mins after the substitution, which is consistent with difficulties to adapt to (i) the game intensity by the substitute player or (ii) tactical changes by the entire team. Furthermore, we find that the change in the goal-scoring probability is substantially bigger if the team is losing at the moment of the substitution.
The current study aimed to investigate the evolutionary trends of players’ technical performances in the UEFA Champions League. Match statistics of 18 technical performance indicators from 1,125 ...matches (2,489 players, 16,247 full match observations) from the group and knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League (season 2009/2010 to 2017/2018) were analysed. Separate Poisson regression models were run in the generalised mixed linear modelling to compare the differences in technical performances among seasons, and the autocorrelation function was used to identify the correlations within technical variables. Results demonstrated that players’ match performances in variables of shots and shots on target showed trivial changes over the nine seasons. The defending related variables showed either downward trends or negligible changes, and the passing- and attacking-related variables showed different evolving paths throughout the course of the nine seasons. These findings may indicate that European teams are now more focussed on the control of match play, creating offensive space by increasing passing frequency and accuracy rather than crossing the ball from the wings into the penalty box. The significant autocorrelations were only detected in the attacking- and passing-related variables of crossing, though ball and aerial wins, they displayed persistence patterns among the nine seasons.
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.
Background:
Preseason training develops players’ physical capacities and prepares them for the demands of the competitive season. In rugby, Australian football, and American football, preseason ...training may protect elite players against in-season injury. However, no study has evaluated this relationship at the team level in elite soccer.
Purpose/Hypothesis:
The aim of this study was to investigate whether the number of preseason training sessions completed by elite soccer teams was associated with team injury rates and player availability during the competitive season. It was hypothesized that elite soccer teams who participate in more preseason training will sustain fewer injuries during the competitive season.
Study Design:
Descriptive epidemiology study.
Methods:
We used the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) injury dataset to analyze 44 teams for up to 15 seasons (total, 244 team-seasons). Separate linear regression models examined the association between the number of team preseason training sessions and 5 in-season injury measures. Injury-related problems per team were quantified by totals of the following: (1) injury burden, (2) severe injury incidence, (3) training attendance, (4) match availability, and (5) injury incidence.
Results:
Teams averaged 30 preseason training sessions (range, 10-51). A greater number of preseason training sessions was associated with less injury load during the competitive season in 4 out of 5 injury-related measures. Our linear regression models revealed that for every 10 additional preseason training sessions that the team performed, the in-season injury burden was 22 layoff days lower per 1000 hours (P = .002), the severe injury incidence was 0.18 severe injuries lower per 1000 hours (P = .015), the training attendance was 1.4 percentage points greater (P = .014), and the match availability was 1.0 percentage points greater (P = .042). As model fits were relatively low (adjusted R2 = 1.3%-3.2%), several factors that contribute to in-season injury outcomes were unaccounted for.
Conclusion:
Teams that performed a greater number of preseason training sessions had “healthier” in-season periods. Many other factors also contribute to in-season injury rates. Understanding the benefit of preseason training on in-season injury patterns may inform sport teams’ planning and preparation.
Introdução: os jogos de futebol possuem períodos críticos. Há momentos em que há uma maior ocorrência de gols e que podem influenciar no resultado. Objetivo: observar a ocorrência de gols, ...características (gol inicial, pré, tempo de ocorrência) e a relação nos resultados das partidas na UEFA Champions League 2017-2018. Materiais e Métodos: os 401 gols feitos em 125 jogos foram inseridos em um editor de planilhas e separados assim: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 45+, 46-60, 61-75, 76-90, 90+. Resultados: período dos gols e número de gols, respectivamente: 1-15: 64; 16-30: 52; 31-45: 62; 45+: 4; 46-60: 64; 61-75: 75; 76-90: 67; 90+: 13. Sendo o primeiro gol realizado nos primeiros 15 minutos, 88% das equipes não perderam. Após os 75 minutos, 78% dos gols foram os gols vencedores. Nos gols ocorridos nos períodos iniciais ou finais, 70,4% dos jogos terminaram em vitória. Em 67% das vitórias, venceu a equipe que marcou o primeiro gol. Discussão: um gol impacta nos aspectos técnico, tático, físico e mental dos jogadores. No físico é sugestivo que a maior incidência de gols no segundo tempo está atrelada a uma melhor resistência, além de impactar no aspecto técnico uma vez que os gestos motores dependem também de um menor desgaste. No tático, quem faz o primeiro gol tem a possibilidade de se manter organizado. No aspecto mental, há um desgaste psicológico menor. Conclusão: na competição e temporada mencionada a ocorrência de gols nos períodos iniciais ou finais se mostraram importantes para a vitória da equipe.
Today, when sports have become a very important sector for the economy, football, which is one of the favorite elements of the sports sector, has a very large financial position among other sports ...branches. Many different organization such as UEFA also contributed to this position. In this study, the effect of the Covid-19 epidemic, which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020, on football clubs was analyzed through the financial statements of football clubs. In the research, the ratio analysis method was applied through the financial statements of the three football clubs in the category of UEFA champions league leaders as of 5 May 2021 and the football companies traded in the BIST for the periods 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. As a result, it has been revealed that all clubs were affected negatively compared to the pre-pandemic period, but the three clubs, which are UEFA leaders, were less affected by the negatice effects of the pandemic due to their strong financial resources and sporting successes. In the evaluation of the research, it has been revealed that Beşiktaş is the club with the best debt paying power among the clubs in Turkey. It was evaluated that the net working capital of the other three clubs was negative. It is understood that the three clubs, which are the ranking leaders in 2021, have strong financial positions that do not differ much from each other. It is another result that the solvency and resource structures of Turkish football clubs and UEFA ranking leaders are far from each other. This situation is generally; It can be attributed to sportive success, the difference in the income balance and the increase in the exchange rate in our country.
Previous research on the advantage experienced by soccer teams playing the second leg of a knock-out confrontation at home yielded ambiguous evidence. Some studies confirmed the well-established ...soccer myth that this advantage is substantial while others did not find any significant evidence. We contribute to this literature by analysing all 'non-seeded' two-leg confrontations in the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League between 2010 and 2017. We find that playing the second leg of a knock-out confrontation at home is not associated with a substantially higher chance of proceeding to the next stage of the tournament.
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