The Political Economy of European Football: Perspectives from Central and Eastern Europe (Critical Research in Football)

This book explores the contemporary dynamics of European football’s political economy, mapping the various market and regulatory forces that shape its current position and development. Offering a conceptual framework for understanding political economy as applied to the study of football, this book presents in-depth case studies from Central and Eastern Europe - a region largely underexplored in the research literature - that enable the reader to gain a sense of the rich history and diversity of the economic and social contexts in which European football is shaped.The first part of this book sets out the market structure of football in Europe and considers how key trends of globalisation and hypercommercialisation have been addressed through attempts to incentivise and regulate the football market.It presents a theoretical framework for political economy in football and explores key issues including football and economic development; UEFA’s ‘Financial Fair Play’ regulations; sponsorshi