Money makes the world; but sometimes it is not all about money

Thuso Palai | Thursday January 30, 2014 07:37

As much as decisions are in most cases swayed by the lure of more money; wise decisions with long term sustainability rather than immediate monetary gain should be made. Agents, managers and especially the players should be careful and weary everytime they make moves, and always be cautious that they are making the right moves for their careers. Well and good; Money is a great motivator and is usually the trump card, but what is MONEY without HAPPINESS. One can say they cannot be unhappy as long as they have money, but for football players, the greatest achievement and satisfaction is derived from actually playing and enjoying playing football.  

I have in the past seen players make ‘wrong’ moves just because they were influenced by big signing on fees or big once off pay cheques. In most instances, moves that are solely based on money always blow up in people’s faces. As much as we need money to get by, there are other dynamics that one should consider alongside MONEY when they make career moves. These include such things as adaptability, chances of playing, future prospects for growth and general well-being once a player makes a move. 

One might ask why I’m bringing this up now. Well, I’m saddened by how some players’ careers have stalled after they made big money moves. Well; they might be earning buckets load of money, but they are not happy as they want to play football. A few names spring to mind immediately. The case that has really put a dampener is that of the 3 DRC based musketeers who I have read are not happy at the DRC side and have indicated that they do not want to go back there. Well, after the fanfare that surrounded their move, it seems all is not well, and the players, as well as the officials of the team that sold them are speaking a different language. The players feel hard done by. Perhaps justifiably or unjustifiably so. Who am I to judge who is wrong or right? My point is; this has all the hallmarks of a deal that was more motivated by money than anything else and its coming back to bite. Who does it bite? The players themselves. I’m not one to point fingers, but we can’t ignore the hushed messages that have been sent out by the players, suggesting that they were taken for a ride and sold a heater in summer. Well, they can’t start pointing fingers now since they have signed on the dotted line. It is my believe that the players can read and write English, which I presume the contract was written in. I cannot for the life of me understand how players can sign a five-year contract with no exit clauses in a country and environment they are not familiar with. The players have since shown they are not happy there and this shows that indeed money can’t make one happy. Yes, they are making buckets load of money, but the environment is not conducive for their general wellbeing. 

At the end of the day, we all need money, but at times we need to be careful about our moves. Players have to be weary of unscrupulous managers, team officials and agents who put their interests before those of the players they represent.  Naturally,  a manager, agent or team official will look for a deal from which he stands to benefit the most, in the process disregarding the player’s happiness. This is where players need to do their own research and seek advice, lest they are used as pawns in some money making schemes, and all they remain with is egg on their face.