Extra money? That’s a real bonus
THIS week has seen the revelation that Vincent Tan, the controversial owner of Cardiff City, offered his players £3.7 million in bonuses if the team managed to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
On the face of it, not a bad incentive for the players – one which could drive on a few of them and perhaps kickstart their season.
However, it’s not quite that simple. The inexperienced owner hadn’t quite read the small print before presenting his players with such a large carrot.
Tan had contravened the Premier League rules with his offer as the bonuses should have been outlined before the season had started.
The Premier Leagues rule states: “Full details of a player’s remuneration, including all benefits to which he is entitled, whether in cash or in kind, shall be set out in his contract. The terms of a contract between a club and a player shall be strictly adhered to.”
Clearly, the rules have been broken here. It comes as no surprise that the offer was soon withdrawn in order to avoid any investigation, which could have resulted in a club fine or points deduction.
I have been involved with bonuses, with which a chairman entices players to the club or persuades them to stay. Firstly, there is the common bonus sheet, which is presented by the manager and passed around the changing-room. Players discuss whether the bonus is the right figure to accept.
In between, there is some negotiation, which usually comes from the club captain via the gaffer. Then the bonuses are agreed. These are paid out either at Christmas, for the team night out, or at the end of the season.
It is quite customary for players to receive the money on a pro-rata basis, based on how many appearances they have made. Some players say this is unfair.
I have been at both ends of the spectrum. I have spent most of the season on the sidelines and finished the season with just ten appearances, resulting in only a few hundred quid, as opposed to those who cashed in a couple of grand after accumulating more than 40 appearances.
On the other hand, depending on the bonus agreement, some players who are either out of favour or there for back-up – and may play only half a dozen games – may take home the same amount as someone who has played every minute of every game that season.
Call it harsh but, nonetheless, this is how it can work sometimes. In this instance, the dressing-room can be full of mixed emotions come the end of the campaign. Inevitably, a few players are upset.
At one of my former clubs, we had a team meeting and suggested an incentive for the chairman to give us – if we reached the play-offs. We also had another – if we gained promotion.
We decided that if we reached play-offs, we would be taken to Magaluf in the summer. And if we were promoted, we would be whisked away to Las Vegas. All paid for, of course.
This is pretty much mandatory at most clubs, who set themselves targets and something to work towards. This incentive is agreed behind closed doors and not something that is leaked, unlike Tan’s recent antics.
His offer went straight into the tabloids, unsurprisingly.
That said, the regulation introduced by the Premier League is designed purely to prevent owners operating financial inducements to motivate players and other staff outside of their existing agreements.
Let’s set the record straight. As I have stated in previous articles, players are motivated by money. If there is no incentive to win silverware – in Cardiff’s latest case, it is a question solely of survival in the Premier League – then where is the focus?
Without the possible big payday, it means the players’ motivation can be reduced to just playing for a new contract.
I know for a fact that if I was to walk into the changing-room tomorrow morning and the gaffer was there with the chairman to offer us a cash bonus for avoiding relegation, it would make players play an extra ten to 20 per cent better in every game until the last breath of the season.
I genuinely believe the majority of players want to play at the highest level possible and win trophies. Furthermore, playing at the highest level results in being paid more.
But as soon as a player is given the opportunity to make additional money, subconsciously they will have that extra spring in their step, the bit between their teeth, to ultimately secure the points that are required to receive that bonus.
It’s all money related, after all.
There was one owner within the Non-League game who gave huge incentives to the players … but never kept his promises. This owner would be hungry and desperate for FA Cup runs, as this is where he knew the money would be made.
In addition, he would bring players in on loan approaching the big games and his instructions to the management staff would be, simply, shit or bust.
I remember a rumour in the dressing-room a few years ago that he used most of the Cup money on gambling. A keen poker player, he would attend professional events and use the money made from the team’s Cup run.
When his team suggested a team-bonding day out at Cheltenham racecourse, he would dismiss the idea, explaining how he didn’t condone betting by his players.
It then came as no surprise that he sacked a member of staff after losing an FA Cup tie against a Championship club. He was so money hungry that he took his frustration out on one of the first-team coaches for making the “wrong” substitution.
Needless to say, his reputation in Non-League was bad and he had tarnished the club’s history and name. Unfortunately for that team, their incentive of a trip to Tenerife was dashed when he claimed that the club was in financial problems.
Presumably from his gambling addiction, certainly not the famous Cup run that they had enjoyed that season.
As for Vincent Tan in South Wales, it’s obvious that many of his controversial decisions may come back to bite him on the backside sooner or later. It’s clear to see that we have yet another inexperienced foreign owner blighting the game.
Tan’s lack of football knowledge has been well publicised and the fans of Cardiff haven’t taken to him as he would have liked. Despite the huge money that he has thrown at the club, it has proved to be unsettling for the players and staff as the team hurtle towards relegation.
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