Determinants analysis of football performance of professional players in Morocco: Use of survey data

Abstract

Football is a very popular sport in Morocco. While the performance of football players in Morocco is crucial for promoting the sport in general, the identification and study of performance require scientific rigor, whether in terms of reliable data or the adopted methodology. Therefore, we can address the issue of variation among football players in terms of performance and the variables that might explain it. This paper examines this topic by analyzing the factors determining the football performance of professional players in Morocco for the 2018/2019 season, using survey data from 2019. To this end, we apply a bivariate analysis method to explain the performance variable through various variables belonging to distinct characteristics. Our study’s results show that, overall, some variables appear significant and largely explain performance, such as age, marital status, public pressure, education level, the coach-player relationship, age at first senior match, contract duration, signing bonus, stability of the technical staff, dietary habits, and sexual activity. In contrast, other variables, generally related to the family environment, proved ineffective in explaining football players’ performance, such as parents' education levels and their socio-professional status. Finally, we find that factors directly related to the players and the clubs most pertinently explain performance.

Keywords: Football, Sport, Performance of football players, Bivariate analysis, Methodology.

JEL classification: C10, C12, L83

Type de papier : Empirical Analysis