Centre for Sports Business events

Centre for Sports Business events provide opportunities for open debate, shape business agendas, and establish research priorities.

Upcoming events

SEMINAR - The impact of Financial Fair Play on competitive balance

Speaker: Dr Nicolas Scelles, Manchester Metropolitan University
Open to: Any staff and students, with no sign up needed
Date: Thursday 4 December 2025
Time: 1-3pm
In person: Management School, Atrium

Abstract:

Is financial regulation bad for competitive balance? Club budget constraints and performance in the UEFA men's Champions League before and under Financial Fair Play

While the literature suggests a negative impact of UEFA Financial Fair Play (FFP) on competitive balance (CB) in European men's football, the effect of FFP has not been convincingly isolated through an associated variable such as soft budget constraint (SBC). The paper addresses this gap by explaining the determinants of SBC and its impact on CB in the knockout stage games of the UEFA men's Champions League over 1996-2023.