Ethical, Social and Legal Factors - Management Affecting the Performance of Iraqi Football Clubs

Introduction: In organizational studies in the field of sports, the performance of a football team can be examined in three parts according to its goals: sports performance, social performance and economic performance. Several factors are effective in each of these functions. The aim of the present study is to examine the ethical, social and legal factors - management affecting the performance of Iraqi football clubs. Material and Methods: The present study was conducted qualitatively and using grounded theory. The research population was sports management professors, experts and athletes, from whom 30 people were selected as samples using purposive sampling. The instrument was an interview. Data analysis was performed using the coding method and NVIVO software was used. Results: The results showed that the categories included 14 concepts that were obtained through an approximate combination of 67 primary concepts or free coding. Based on this, a conceptual design of the research was formed in which 4 managerial, legal, ethical and social factors were proposed as causal factors. Conclusion: The results of the research showed that 4 main factors affect the performance of Iraqi football clubs: In the area of ​​managerial factors affecting club performance, managerial stability is an important issue. In the legal area, complete awareness of specialized issues of sports law and compliance with domestic and international legal regulations in sports contracts is important. In the ethical area, moral education and meritocracy and the club's ethical culture are of great importance. In the social area, issues such as social responsibility, support from spectators and fans, and social awareness are important.