Cultural Differences, Assimilation, and Behavior: Player Nationality and Penalties in Football

Abstract

We examine the impact of a different cultural background on individual behavior, focusing on penalties in football matches of southern European and northern European football players in the English Premier League. Southern European football players collect on average more football penalties than their British colleagues, and northern European football players collect on average less football penalties than their British colleagues. The number of football penalties incurred by southern European players is initially higher but converges toward the local average the longer their experience in the English Premier League.