’Creative accounting’ in the Spanish professional football League: An attempt to dodge the rules economic control? Contabilidad creativa en el fútbol profesional español: ¿Un intento de regate al control económico?

Rudemarlyn Urdaneta Camacho; Juan Carlos Guevara Pérez; Emilio Martín Vallespín; Fernando Llena Macarulla

doi:10.6018/rcsar.553911

Autores/as

Rudemarlyn Urdaneta Camacho University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza-SPAIN https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1851-796X
Juan Carlos Guevara Pérez Universidad de Zaragoza https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1215-7916
Emilio Martín Vallespín University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza-SPAIN https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4315-0642
Fernando Llena Macarulla Universidad de Zaragoza - Institute on Employment, Digital Society and Sustainability (IEDIS), Zaragoza-SPAIN https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8020-0229

DOI: https://doi.org/10.6018/rcsar.553911

Palabras clave: UEFA Juego Limpio Financiero, Fútbol, Gestión de ingresos, Contabilidad, Rendimiento financiero

Agencias de apoyo

Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities under the projects PID2020-113905GB-I00 and PID2023-146084OB-I00 COL-ACREFIN
and the Regional Government of Aragón proyects S56_20R and S33_23R unther the GESPÚBLICA and Socio-Economy and Sustainability researchs groups

Resumen

A lo largo de la última década, numerosos estudios han analizado la contribución del Reglamento de Juego Limpio Financiero (JLF) de la UEFA y del Reglamento de Control Económico (RCE) de la Liga Española de Fútbol (LFP) a la sostenibilidad financiera de los clubes. Sin embargo, el cumplimiento de la normativa puede incentivar la introducción de prácticas contables que intenten "maquillar" los estados financieros de los clubes, desviándose del objetivo principal de mostrar la imagen fiel de la entidad. Este estudio analiza los factores financieros y no financieros que conducen a prácticas de earnings management en el fútbol profesional español, con el objetivo de identificar el impacto que la implantación del RCE de la LFP ha tenido sobre la calidad de la información contable. Dado que el inmovilizado inmaterial tiene una gran importancia en la industria del fútbol, ya que recoge los derechos pagados por el traspaso de jugadores, el estudio utiliza el modelo de Key (1997) para considerar esta partida y obtener los ajustes discrecionales por periodificación. Posteriormente, los datos de panel permiten establecer posibles relaciones entre estos ajustes y variables financieras y no financieras.
Los resultados muestran que los clubes de primera división más pequeños y más apalancados son más propensos a manipular su información contable tras la aplicación del RCE. A diferencia de estudios anteriores centrados en grandes equipos, el presente estudio proporciona un análisis exhaustivo de una de las ligas europeas más populares (la española) considerando clubes de diferentes tamaños. Además, el estudio abre un debate sobre la idoneidad de determinados parámetros contables dentro de la industria del fútbol, como el tratamiento de los activos intangibles ligados a los derechos de los jugadores, evidenciado como una de las principales partidas utilizadas por los clubes para introducir prácticas de gestión de beneficios.

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Contabilidad creativa en el fútbol profesional español: ¿Un intento de regate al control económico?