The Impact of COVID-19 on European Football: A Review from Sport Management Perspectives

Öz

This study aims to analyze the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on European football from a sports management perspective. The impact of the pandemic on football organizations has not only been limited to sporting performance, but has also left deep traces in multidimensional areas such as health management, crisis communication, logistics planning and economic sustainability. In the analysis using Transfermarkt data; case distributions in different leagues, number of infections according to player nationalities, quarantine periods and number of missed matches were evaluated. It was determined that case rates were high in leagues such as Bundesliga, Super League and Serie A, while Turkish, German and South American soccer players were among the groups most affected by the pandemic. Kruskal-Wallis tests indicated significant differences between continents, and it was revealed that the return time and the number of matches missed by South American players were higher. The results of the study emphasize that the contemporary sport management approach should be based not only on performance but also on data-based decision-making, crisis resilience and health-integrated management. In this context, the sustainability of European football against future global crises requires the development of managerial approaches with an interdisciplinary perspective.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• COVID-19
• European football
• sports management
• crisis management
• health strategies

COVID-19'un Avrupa Futbolu Üzerindeki Etkisi: Spor Yönetimi Perspektiflerinden Bir İnceleme

Öz

Bu çalışma, COVID-19 pandemisinin Avrupa futbolu üzerindeki etkilerini spor yöneticiliği perspektifinden analiz etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Pandeminin futbol organizasyonları üzerindeki etkisi, yalnızca sportif performansla sınırlı kalmamış; sağlık yönetimi, kriz iletişimi, lojistik planlama ve ekonomik sürdürülebilirlik gibi çok boyutlu alanlarda da derin izler bırakmıştır. Transfermarkt verileri kullanılarak yapılan analizde; farklı liglerdeki vaka dağılımları, futbolcu milliyetlerine göre enfeksiyon sayıları, karantina süreleri ve kaçırılan maç sayıları değerlendirilmiştir. Bundesliga, Süper Lig ve Serie A gibi liglerde vaka oranlarının yüksek olduğu; Türk, Alman ve Güney Amerikalı futbolcuların ise pandemiden en çok etkilenen gruplar arasında yer aldığı belirlenmiştir. Kruskal-Wallis testleri, kıtalar arası anlamlı farklara işaret etmiş, özellikle Güney Amerikalı oyuncuların geri dönüş süresinin ve kaçırdığı maç sayısının daha fazla olduğu ortaya konmuştur. Çalışma sonuçları, çağdaş spor yöneticiliği yaklaşımının yalnızca performansa değil; veri temelli karar alma, kriz dayanıklılığı ve sağlıkla bütünleşik yönetime dayanması gerektiğini vurgulamaktadır. Bu bağlamda, gelecekteki küresel krizlere karşı Avrupa futbolunun sürdürülebilirliği, disiplinlerarası bakış açısına sahip yönetsel yaklaşımlar geliştirilmesini zorunlu kılmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• COVID-19
• Avrupa futbolu
• spor yöneticiliği
• kriz yönetimi
• sağlık stratejileri

Etik Beyan

Bu çalışmada, İstanbul Okan Üniversitesi Uygulamalı Bilimler Fakültesi Spor Yöneticiliği Bölümü’nden Dr. Taner Karaman tarafından yürütülen “COVID-19’un Avrupa Futboluna Etkisi: Spor Yöneticiliği Perspektifinden Bir İnceleme” başlıklı araştırma için İstanbul Okan Üniversitesi Etik Kurulu’nun 14.05.2025 tarihli ve 190 sayılı toplantısında, Karar No: 28 ile etik uygunluk onayı alınmıştır.

Kaynakça

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