Intangible assets in Brazilian clubs: an analysis of players’ expenses in the financial statements

Abstract

Given the importance of intangibles in the context of soccer, this article identifi es the intangibles present in the fi nancial statements of the main Brazilian clubs, comparing them and identifying which part of these values ar e related to the expenses with training, acquisition and renewal of contracts with athletes, in light of the accounting standards that allow (or require) these practices for Brazilian teams. The results point to a nominal growth in the group of intangible assets recorded in the balance sheets. In proportional terms, they represent more than 10% of the total assets in 2/3 of the selected sample, and in some cases represent more than 30% of the assets. In 26 of the 27 teams analyzed, the representativeness of the training and professional training expenses of athletes reached levels above 97% of the intangible. On average, 16.86% of the assets are represented by intangible assets, whose content that relates to player spending reaches, on average, 98.6%. The results indicate the importance of the research on methodologies for recognition and measurement of specific intangibles for soccer clubs. In a sport where athletes take a leading role and move high figures, considering the impact of this capital on financial statements is necessary, possible and requires debate, adequacy, standardization and expansion of current policies.