Multi-club ownership in Brazilian football: fan perceptions
Carregando...
Arquivos
Data
2025-10-09
Autores
Orientador(res)
Alves, Mário Aquino
Métricas
Título da Revista
ISSN da Revista
Título de Volume
Resumo
This study explores how Brazilian football fans perceive and react to the multi-club ownership (MCO) trend in the country after the 2021 SAF law. With a thematic analysis of digital discourse in four case studies, the research analyses the major opinions and reactions of fans in the face of MCO structures, and the factors explaining them. The findings showed that fan acceptance of MCO depends on sporting success, cultural respect and transparent governance. On the other hand, resistance appears among fans when the cultural identity of their club is diluted, when their club becomes a feeder club or when the owners’ behavior is opaque, highlighting the symbolic ownership of fans and their role as gatekeepers. The study enriches the fan identity theory by introducing the conditional identity elasticity, and the necessity of cultural negotiation for the fans to accept the commodification of football. It also offers guidelines for investors to earn fan legitimacy and suggests regulatory safeguards to protect the fans.