The two-track Europeanization of football: EU-level pressures, transnational dynamics and their repercussions within different national contexts

This article contributes to the under-researched literature on the Europeanization of sports. We distinguish between two modes of Europeanization (broadly signifying the impact of European integration on the domestic realm): the traditional top-down approach and the neglected societal/transnational Europeanization track. Both modes are examined with regard to their effects within two national contexts (Germany and Austria), and across two cases: the Bosman ruling (the nationality issue) and European club competitions as an engine of Europeanization. Our analysis reveals some important differences: the domestic countermeasures regarding the nationality aspect of the Bosman ruling were more subtle and European Union-law-compliant in Germany, while the actions undertaken in Austria were, at best, questionably compliant. As for the second case, although Austrian football had undergone an important (Central) Europeanization period long before Bosman, some more recent developments at the European level – such as pan-European club competition and the parallel formation of top clubs' representatives – have constituted much stronger dynamics within German football. Finally, we tentatively address this variation in outcomes.