Competitive profile differences between the best-ranked european football championships

Abstract

Purpose. The aim of the study was to compare the competitive profiles of the best-ranked European football championships. Methods. The final rankings (n = 30) and the final scores of the matches played in the 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 seasons (n = 10,465) of the best-ranked European football championships (Spanish LaLiga, English Premier League, German Bundesliga, Portuguese Liga Portugal, French Ligue 1, and Italian Serie A) were analysed. The instrument used was the Battery of Indicators for the Assessment of Competitive Profile of a Championship. The competitive profile was analysed in three dimensions and their correspondent measurement indices: (1) degree of excellence: International Achievement and Classification Dominance indices; (2) equality of teams: Classification Compactness, Performance Sustainability, and Home Advantage indices; (3) type of matches: Match Openness, Match Equality, and Result Uncertainty indices. ANOVA one-way analysis of variance and Bonferroni post-hoc adjustment were used. Results. Significant differences were shown among the main European championships in the International Achievement (p = 0.003), Classification Dominance (p = 0.001), Classification Compactness (p = 0.009), Match Openness (p = 0.000), and Match Equality (p = 0.008) indices. Conclusions. LaLiga Spanish championship stands out as the only instance of a quality competitive profile. Consequently, LaLiga occupies the highest position in the indices related with the international prestige and the competitive quality of the teams (p < 0.001).