Production, Efficiency, and Corruption in Italian Serie A Football

This article uses data for Italian Serie A to estimate a production function for the league and the relative efficiency of the clubs playing in it. It utilizes a panel data set comprising season aggregated match statistics for 36 Serie A clubs that played over 10 seasons from 2000 to 2010. The seasons affected by the Calciopoli corruption scandal are incorporated with specific indicators in the statistical model. The results highlight the importance of attacking play in Serie A, the role played by historic success or lack of it and, more tentatively, the potential gains and also costs from fraudulent behavior.