One of the topics that will dominate the news in Turkey for five weeks in June and July will be the 2026 World Cup. As a result of the expansion of the World Cup, our country has secured the opportunity to be represented on this stage after a long hiatus. Since the National Team is in a relatively easy group, its chances of advancing to the next round are very high. It is likely that, starting from this stage, players will be given increasingly generous “performance bonuses.” If we recall past examples, this incentive will naturally spark debate both within the team and in the public sphere. Even at this early stage, the Federation President has announced, in the euphoria of victory, that he will gift the players a villa. The extent to which this gift is a reflection of the President’s generosity and whether it comes “out of his own pocket” has immediately become a subject of debate.
A reward is not the solution!
The word “motivation” derives from the Latin words for “movement” (movere) and “emotion” (emotion). Thus, the concept of “motivation”—which determines the direction and intensity of a person’s effort—has emerged. In the world of soccer, managers increase incentives under the guise of bonuses to spur players into action and boost the intensity of their efforts before major matches.
First, we need to clarify two concepts from the perspective of human psychology. Reward-seeking behavior leads to reward-seeking, while punishment leads to avoidance behavior. People achieve success by seeking it, not by avoiding it. However, punishment—or, to use a more contemporary term, “sanctions”—and reward are not, as the vast majority believes, the two sides of a scale. When used in a measured and appropriate manner, sanctions can be useful for eliminating undesirable behavior.
For example, fining players for a loss or a mafia-style president saying, “If you lose the match, there will be a beating,” does not produce the desired result. However, imposing a fine proportional to their income on players who arrive late to practice, fail to return from vacation on time, or receive a yellow or red card—and stipulating this in their contracts—aligns with the definition of “measured and appropriate sanctions.”
The Reality of Our Soccer
For a long time now, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has tied its very existence to the results achieved by the National Team and the performance of referees. However, the TFF lacks the scientific approach and systematic work required to elevate our country’s soccer to a level where it can compete at the highest level on the international stage. Had such an approach gone beyond mere words, we would be watching stars emerging from the youth ranks on the fields today. Similarly, the fact that not a single referee from Turkey was included in this tournament is clear evidence of our referees’ failure. The reasons why our referees fall short of the international standard are the subject of a separate article. In this article, regarding the results the National Team is expected to achieve—which are considered a measure of success—I wish to focus on the consequences of the bonus-based reward system that the TFF has relied on so far, and which football administrators, particularly those from our major clubs, have most frequently turned to.
One of the most significant mistakes made regarding incentives through bonuses in soccer is increasing the monetary reward for big and important matches. Even more concerning is the tendency for administrators to multiply the previously set bonus as match day approaches, driven by their own growing personal anxieties. One of the most striking examples of this is the bonus dispute that recently came to a close, pitting the team’s head coach against its captain. The 150,000-euro bonus promised to the players before the 2014 World Cup was raised by the Federation President to “500,000 euros if these matches are won” with just two matches remaining. This situation gave rise to two questions in the players’ minds. First, shouldn’t the total be 150,000 plus 500,000 euros? Second, isn’t it unfair that others who didn’t play in the final two matches but contributed to the team up to that point aren’t receiving a share of this? Previously, during the 2002 World Cup, a “jeep promise” made on the spot in the locker room amid the excitement of a won match had also caused significant hard feelings.
Managing by Mission
Boosting motivation through financial incentives is possible in certain types of work: In monotonous, repetitive tasks that do not require creativity or mental engagement (such as sewing on buttons or tightening screws), external rewards improve performance. In contrast, in tasks where technical motor skills and mental focus are of great importance—such as soccer—financial rewards produce the exact opposite of the expected result and actually reduce performance.
In tasks requiring creativity and mental focus, the primary source of motivation is a “sense of meaning.” Furthermore, the size of the reward can lead to resorting to unethical means, such as doping or unsportsmanlike conduct (deceiving the referee). For this reason, in today’s business world, it is expected that business leaders with a modern management philosophy will manage the people they work with not through control and commands, but through a sense of mission and meaning.
Special bonuses for derby wins are misguided
I have spent time with players who have spent their entire careers playing regularly for the national team but have never won a championship. A healthy player possesses the necessary and optimal physiological stress—and consequently, psychological motivation—to succeed during the preparation period for a major derby or international match. For players at every level, winning a national team match or a derby is an unforgettable moment. On the other hand, the promised money is mentally spent before it even arrives, disrupting the player’s focus. Attempting to reward a victory in an important derby or national team match with a high bonus increases physiological stress and pushes it beyond the optimal level required for success. For example, what could be the monetary reward for a major team that hasn’t managed to defeat its archrival at home for many years, finally achieving this in a derby match played at their own stadium? There is no benefit to promising a special bonus for victory before such a match. On the contrary, canceling the bonus and instead creating a team poster or printing the team’s image on a T-shirt to distribute to fans at the next match—thereby turning these items into collectibles—is a far more effective motivational approach. Similarly, promising a substantial reward to a team that has been away from the championship for a long time increases tension and leads them to make mistakes that were not expected.
Victory bonuses are an accepted part of soccer. All that is required is to stick to the plan established before the season or tournament. The bonus amounts should not be excessive. The reason why countries far wealthier than Turkey offer much more modest rewards for significant achievements is that they are aware of the scientific facts described above or consult with those who are. Successful managers motivate their players not with money, but with a sense of purpose.
Who pays for the reward?
So why do managers choose this path? It is the values that drive people. Every manager assumes their own motivational factor is universal and applicable to everyone, and tries to motivate people with that same factor. For the vast majority of managers in soccer, the most important values in life are money, power, and recognition. Therefore, the manager sees increasing the victory bonus as the only way to achieve the result that will satisfy them and ensure they are seen as a “successful manager.” There are two key reasons why soccer managers increase rewards for success: the reward does not come out of their own pockets but is paid by others, and it makes them feel powerful. Thus, when the authoritative manager enters the locker room filled with the joy of a major victory, he promises rewards that will cause public discomfort, adopting an “The boss’s hand cannot be held back” attitude in the face of the excitement created by certain star players.
The rationale the TFF has used to date in defending its large bonuses is that the funds do not come from public sources such as taxes, but are generated from the federation’s own activities. The TFF’s primary duty is not to bestow lavish gratuities on athletes who already earn world-class salaries, but to invest more in the country’s soccer infrastructure and ensure that not only men but also women can compete at the international level. Therefore, the TFF should direct its resources—not toward professional players who, for reasons that are hard to fathom, enjoy tax-exempt privileges and are swimming in money—but toward the sport’s infrastructure, starting with coaches; toward academic research in this field; and toward expanding opportunities for young people and children to participate in sports.
Furthermore, the success of a tournament is not limited to just the players who compete and those who do not. One must also consider the approximately ten people on the team’s technical staff, as well as the numerous individuals classified as “staff.” If these individuals are excluded and do not receive an award commensurate with their contributions, they will feel resentful and, as has happened in the past, provide ample fuel for the gossip mill in the media.
Conclusion
Some argue in favor of financial rewards because a professional soccer player takes risks to play for the national team and makes sacrifices in their personal life. Those who hold this view must consider the following two facts. First, playing for the National Team increases a soccer player’s value in the soccer market. This is a significant reward in and of itself. Participating in a major tournament such as the European or World Championship and stepping onto the international soccer stage is an unforgettable and priceless experience for every soccer player. This is a greater reward than any material incentive. Therefore, focusing players on the spiritual rewards beyond material incentives is a matter of understanding and skill. It is expected that modern managers demonstrate this skill.
Note: I wrote an article on this topic in 2013, prior to the qualifying matches against Iceland and Slovakia. It saddens me to see that, 13 years later, the same approach—shaped by impulsive behavior and failing to learn from the past—persists.
