Document Type : Original Article
Authors
- Siavash Hamidzadeh 1
- alimohmmad safania 2
- Sayyed salahedin Naghshbandi 1
- Mohsen Bagherian Farahabadi 1
1 Department of Physical Education, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Department of Physical Education, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran (Corresponding author).
Abstract
This study aimed to formulate a framework for the entry of blockchain technology into the Iranian football industry, using a qualitative approach and a thematic analysis strategy. The participants included 17 experts from the fields of technology, sports management, digital economy, and law, who were selected through purposive and snowball sampling until theoretical saturation was reached, based on criteria such as professional diversity, operational experience, familiarity with the technology, and analytical ability. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. To ensure the scientific validity and trustworthiness of the findings, the four criteria of Guba and Lincoln (1985)—credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability—were utilized. Data analysis was conducted based on the six-phase thematic analysis framework by Braun and Clarke (2006), which resulted in the extraction of 213 basic themes, 25 organizing themes, and 12 overarching themes. The overarching themes are: "Fragmented and Unstable Perception," "Lack of Infrastructure and Macro-Strategy," "Gradual Maturation of Technological Acceptance," "Technological and Institutional Capacity Building," "Knowledge and Infrastructural Gaps," "Technological and Institutional Risks," "Policy and Legal Bottlenecks," "Institutional and Regulatory Infrastructure," "Technological and Knowledge Empowerment," "Phased and Experience-Based Governance," "Club-Centric Digital Transformation," and "Technological and Economic Value Creation." The findings indicate that the entry of blockchain into Iranian football is in a preliminary and unstable state, facing serious institutional, knowledge-based, legal, and technical barriers. However, capacities such as the gradual acceptance by the digital generation, the emergence of a domestic technological ecosystem, and the possibility of phased policymaking,
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