Forenzní finanční analýza vybraných evropských fotbalových klubů

This bachelor’s thesis focuses on the forensic financial analysis of selected European soccer clubs during the crisis period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the thesis is to assess the clubs’ financial resilience and detect potential risks of accounting manipulation using Altman’s modified Z’’-Score and Beneish’s M-Score. The theoretical section defines the specifics of accounting in the soccer industry, the UEFA regulatory framework, and the methodology of both applied models. The core practical section analyzes the mechanism of non-standard accounting operations at Juventus F.C. associated with the generation of fictitious capital gains from player transfers and subsequently compares the results with six other major European clubs with different ownership structures. The analysis suggests that although the pandemic shock broadly worsened selected financial indicators across the industry, the models used were able to reliably isolate anomalies exhibiting signs of accounting manipulation at Juventus from normal financial pressure. The study thus highlights the applicability of these forensic models to the specific football environment while taking into account industry-specific characteristics.