For God And Country And Dollar Bills

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VENTURES AFRICA – I think we can probably agree on a few things up front:

1. Nigeria’s performance against Iran was not the stuff of legend. It was listless and slightly embarrassing. I understand the difficulties of playing a parked bus, but where was the Plan B? And did Emanuel Emenike and Victor Moses take a vow of non-cooperation?

2. Nigeria and Ghana turned around and made us all proud with their respective performances against Argentina and Germany. Both African teams mustered technique, power, style, and will, in the face of former world champions and perennial football powers. The very two powers now contesting the final.

3. We were embarrassed all over again – thoroughly so – by the public row some African nations had with their football federations over appearance fees and performance bonuses.

There’s something particularly painful in reading critiques of African actions especially when the actions in question fit age old stereotypes –the characterization of Africans as greedy, scarcity-minded, consummate “unprofessionals”whose only motivation is money. Oil money, diamond money, contract money, deal money, football money—whatever it is, just show us the money. It’s no different with the World Cup Bonus fiasco. There’s the picture of Ghana’s defender John Boye kissing his $100,000 stack of bonus money. There’s the Associated Press story about the Cameroonian team refusing to board their plane to Brazil without first receiving their bonus payments. Then there’s the Al Jazeera piece “Nigeria’s Revolting World Cup Squad” which also wins the award for most clever headline.
Over time, I’ve grown immune to the stories of bill-chasing in business and politics. I’ve even learned to rationalize it a little bit. But this is football. Football! Where’s the national pride? We all believe these men owe us their all because they wear our national colors. Green, white, black, red yellow—whatever. That’s our flag they wear and we expect them to act like it. Appearance fees and performance bonuses should be a distant third concern after national pride and personal achievement. No?

The impression we are presented with, instead, is that of our flag-bearers putting personal profit above country on the most public of stages. So while some regions witnessed their representatives shedding tears of heartbreak with abandon, we of CAF got treated to John Boye molesting cash in a dimly lit back room.

But how fair have we really been? Have we considered what non-African football federations pay their players for the privilage of participating in the world cup? Members of the Spanish team each earned $ 815,000 for winning in South Africa. They were offered $978,000 for a repeat performance this year. The members of the Brazillian team would have made $449,000 for their stunning performance against the Germans who could take home $400,000 for their services. The Nigerian payoff after all the public haggling—$100,000 each to win it all. That’s Roughly ten percent of Spain’s promise.

The Nigerian national team coach, Stephen Keshi, has demanded a $63,000 monthly salary and we’ve called him selfish. By comparison, US national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann penned agreements that will furnish him with between $500,000 and $10.5 million depending on performance in this World Cup—in addition to his three million dollar yearly salary. His team finished second in their group just like Nigeria. They were eliminated in the Round of 16 just like Nigeria. I’d even argue that Nigeria’s performance against France was more admirable than the US struggle against Belgium. So who earned that money? Is Keshi still unreasonable? Yes, Greece and Algeria made headlines for admirably donating their appearance fees to worthy causes. But that’s two out of thirty-two countries.
I’ve struggled to bring my anger and embarrassment in line with reality. Perhaps the problem is not our players, but the structure built around them. When I consider the amount they asked for in comparison to what other teams received, maybe—just maybe—this has nothing to do with the bonus. Maybe this is all about appreciation and expectation of and for performance.
Rest your cynicism for a minute and come with me:
Imagine for a moment that as bearers of the Nigerian flag the Super Eagles are a company, and we Nigerians are their managers. As leaders seeking to properly motivate said employees, our first question should be “do they understand their roles?” Next, “do we understand their roles?”What are these players? Are they national representatives or are they entertainers? Are they contractors seeing out a short-term engagement on our behalf or tenured men paid to do a job?

The average Nigerian will likely say the Eagles are “national representatives,” who should perform as a matter of national pride. But why? What’s the motivation? Is it the pleasure of being roundly insulted by 170 million amateur coaches after every loss?
If we’re honest, being a national representative of Nigeria hasn’t really taken anyone anywhere. Our 1994 world cup soccer star Rashidi Yekini died in 2012, poor and unsung. There was no parade. Lawyers and politicians get spreads in the newspapers Punch and This Day when they do well or pass on, but our sports stars? Can you tell me who Chioma Ajunwa is or where she is right now?
This schizophrenic attitude towards public servants isn’t unique to athletes. Nigerian policemen and soldiers get similar treatment. We ask these men and women to lay down their lives and in exchange we give them the “honour” of being in the uniform. I wouldn’t blame them for not seeing things a little differently. When a policeman is killed in the line of duty, we don’t mourn him in the papers. His children don’t get scholarships. Even worse, the monthly salary he or she gets isn’t much for someone who can be terminated without warning. We can scream “public servant”or “national representative”as loud as we wish, but it means nothing without the corresponding recognition of heroism and sacrifice. Nigeria has hardly held up its end of that bargain when it comes to our heroes and representatives. And we see the performance we get in return.
There’s a lesson here for business owners everywhere. You can motivate team members with cultural suasion, with monetary incentive, or with a combination of the two. But which ever option you choose, the payoffs must be evident.
For those employees who represent a brand in direct view of clients and customers, it might be tempting to assume pride in position alone will promote masterful performance. But does your organization reward them in line with this expectation? Or does it just punish them for falling short? Do you routinely celebrate your associates’stellar performances or do stellar exhibitions in clutch moments drown in obscurity like Rashidi Yekni’s? Unless your cultural pay-offs are commensurate with expectations, suasion alone just won’t do it.
There’s also cash. Self-interest, as Adam Smith famously taught, is the most potent of motivators. But this money only works if people get paid on time and consistently. Even then, unless the financial incentives are exceptional, it is often the case that money alone won’t be enough in the long run. People need to believe in what they are fighting for. They need to know the country has their back. There has to be a sense that this is all worth it.
The World Cup Bonus fiasco was a case study on paying for performance. It didn’t work for Spain, and it certainly didn’t work for Nigeria, Ghana, or Cameroon. The drive to excellence has to come from a sense of belonging fostered by appreciation and a sense of personal ownership, and this starts from the top of the organization. Our players made headlines mostly because they believed that their bonus money was the only thing they would get out of representing our country, and that receiving it was not guaranteed. As fans we must offer more.
How can we ensure this never happens again? Do we take the issue of money off the table and make playing for the country solely a matter of privilege and pride? If so, how can we best recognize the exploits of Eagles past and future? Would that improve performance? What about financial incentives? Should the Eagles be on a salary like the head coach? I’d love to hear your thoughts.