HOME GROWN PLAYERS’ REGISTRATIONS: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE IN THE PORTUGUESE AND BRAZILIAN CLUBS

Abstract

In sports companies the major intangible item is the players' registrations. Investigations showed that, in European clubs, home grown players' registrations are not generally recognized as an asset in the balance sheet, unlike the acquired players' registrations. In Brazil, the accounting practice is different, due to Resolution No. 1005/2004, of CFC. Given these differences, this study focuses particularly on the accounting practices of home grown players' registrations, in a small area: Portugal and Brazil. The goals of this research are the following: a) check if home grown players' registrations meet the requirements to be recognized as an intangible asset; b) identify similarities and differences in accounting practices among Portuguese clubs and the Brazilian clubs regarding home grown players' registrations; c) dissect the reasons for the clubs to valuate or not home grown players' registrations. It is proposed to achieve these last two goals through empirical evidence as a result of the survey. It is concluded that both home grown players and those acquired from third parties comply with the requirements for the recognition as an intangible asset. In Portugal, almost all the clubs do not recognize the home grown players' registrations, due to the lack of reliable criteria to valuate. In contrast, all the Brazilian clubs recognize the home grown players' registrations as an intangible asset.