Decision taking under pressure: evidence on football manager dismissals in Argentina and their consequences Articles uri icon

authors

  • FORREST, DAVID
  • FLORES DIAZ, RAMON JESUS
  • TENA HORRILLO, JUAN DE DIOS

publication date

  • November 2012

start page

  • 653

end page

  • 662

issue

  • 3

volume

  • 222

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0377-2217

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1872-6860

abstract

  • The paper focuses on dismissals of football managers and whether such decisions appear to contribute to organisational goals or else to be fruitless exercises in scapegoating. Its empirical setting is Argentina where incidence of sackings is more than one per season per club. It models 20 years of football match results and detects a tendency for a change of manager to be followed by deterioration in team performance, with adverse effects concentrated in results of matches played away. The evidence is consistent with decisions being driven by fan and media pressure rather than in realistic hope of improving the position of the club.