Soundoff: Should Players Receive Big Bonus Payments for Winning the World Cup?

June 7th, 2010 | by: Daryl |

bonuses There’s a swirl of controversy in Spain today, surrounding the potentially hefty bonus payments the Spanish players could earn for their World Cup performance. Apparently Spain’s players will each receive €600,000 (about £495,206 or $716,825 US) if they win the World Cup in South Africa. And – predictably? – the peasants are revolting.

Spain captain Iker Casillas (who, along with vice captains Xavi and Carles Puyol, negotiated the deal with the the Royal Spanish Football Federation, has defended the payments:

“It’s an issue that always comes up,” Casillas said during preparations for Spain’s final warm-up match against Poland in Murcia tomorrow.

“You can comment and talk, especially at this time when everyone is suffering,” he added, referring to the economic crisis and soaring unemployment gripping Spain. “And I include myself in that because I have family and friends and cousins and they are also hurting because of the crisis. Everyone sees it one way, as they want, but you shouldn’t mix one thing up with the other.”

Reuters are reporting that the Spanish player’s potential pot of gold is “the largest win bonus among major contenders”. That qualifier is needed because the team on the biggest World Cup win bonus is actually – as we posted on Friday – the USA team, who’ve been offered the biggest cash bonus of any team in World Cup history at $895,131 per man.

The catch there is that the USA almost certainly won’t win the World Cup. So as Chris said to me when that story broke, the US’s bonus is “kind of like me saying I’ll donate tomorrow’s lotto when I don’t win it.” But because the Spanish bonus is a very possible reality, people are angry. So, as the question in the title asks: Should players receive big bonus payments for winning the World Cuo?

I’m going to go ahead and Soundoff first. I say yes, they do. Many people complain that it’s unseemly for players to be offered cash as motivation for a World Cup win. Players should want to win it anyway, no matter the money. And so on. I agree with that. But I’d also argue that the players agree with that too. I’ll guarantee that not a single member of the Spain squad will go into the World Cup thinking [in Spanish, obviously] “I’d better try and win this game, I’d really leave an extra few hundred grand.” They’ll be thinking about the World Cup.

The bonus payments are a reward for a job well done, not a motivational factor. The payments are literally a bonus. A little something extra to say thank you, taken from the World Cup prize money the Royal Spanish Football Federation will earn for Spain’s hyopthetical World Cup win. And if that hypothetical becomes a reality and Spain wins its first ever World Cup in July 2010, I’ll guarantee that every Spanish fan will be too busy celebrating to complain about their heroes receiving a bonus payment.

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TheoT

I have no problem with the bonuses (or no more or less than footballers extortionate wages, but that opens up millions of different issues). What really annoys me is players like Casillas pretending that they also have suffered because their cousins have struggled. If these people were truly struggling than surely someone with the monumental wealth of Casillas can support his family. I understand that they may not wish to accept his money but if they were really struggling then I'm sure he would be willing to help.

Just my thoughts, they may sound like an overreaction but it does really annoy me.
http://inter.theoffside.com Johonna

I guess my question is: where does the money for these bonuses come from? In the case of Spain, the country is on the brink of following in Greece's footsteps. If this money comes from government coffers, then I would be against it. If, on the other hand, the money is independently generated (like from TV rights or something), then I have no problem with it.
http://sevilla.theoffside.com/ SevillaOffside_Joshua

I agree with Theo. I have no problem with the bonuses. Besides, it's not like other sports don't give exorbitant bonuses for winning the top prize. Look at a college football coach's bonus for a national title, or a NFL player's bonus for winning the super bowl. I see this as no different.

I also disliked Iker's comment about including himself in that suffering. Does his cousin's financial crisis get much better if he gets 600,000 for winning the world cup? I doubt he would give the money to that cousin anyhow. It is a convenient tool to try to justify his bonus to himself–and in his mind–the people of Spain. He would have been better to not try to justify it at all, as many would be fine with the bonus anyhow.
soccerroo

According to this article and the one Friday that was published about the US team bonus. The bonus come out of the Countries soccer/football association's money from playing in the world cup. In the US the money from the world cup gets split with the players and the USSF. The association then uses their part to fund soccer developement in the country. If the US qualifies for the second round and more the players get paid based on games played and level they reach.

As far as the goverment paying players and people that can happen but this would not be true of Spain or the USA according to the articles. I know Saudi Arabia gave players cars if they scored in the world cup. I think that was the goverment doing that.
http://sevilla.theoffside.com/ SevillaOffside_Joshua

Johonna,

It comes from the money FIFA awards the FA of the winning nation. According to the Guardian:

“If Fabio Capello's side were to win the trophy they would receive a total of $31m (£18.7m). The runners-up will get $24m, semi-finalists $20m and the quarter-finalists $18m each. Teams that reach the second round will get $9m and even those eliminated in the group phase will receive $8m. Each team have already received $1m from Fifa towards their “preparation costs”.

So that bonus money would then go to the winning players rather than being invested back into the Spanish Football Leagues. Due to the emphasis SPain already puts on their youth systems, and the investments clubs make to the Spanish youth programs, I have no problem with the players taking a large chunk of the prize.
Tbone04

I think they definitely deserve a bonus. The World Cup is about your country's pride, not just football. How much of a bonus is debatable.

As a Christian, I know that no man is supposed to posses the amount of money that most of these players do. (Matthew 19:23-24)(Luke 1:53) (Luke 6:24)

However, from a worldly view, I watched a boxing match a few years back. It was Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. It was a dumb fight, but Floyd Mayweather won and walked away with over 65 million dollars. If you divide that number by Spain's $716,825 US per player, you would see that one boxer made the equivalent of 90 soccer player's World Cup bonuses. (and that's just Spain, most teams have a much lower bonus in mind).
Bense235

Sure they deserve a bonus, but it shouldn't be that high. A bonus is not any incentive for winning it and better spent with the F.A.'s youth programs.
http://inter.theoffside.com Johonna

Well if that is the case, then I have no problem at all with players getting a bonus.

Of course, this discussion now makes me wonder just how much it costs for a country to send a team to the world cup, anyway.
Tbone04

I agree. I hope if the USA ever wins that they invest in our youth programs and turn soccer into America's number one sport. I'd love to see my son's grow up in a soccer-hungry generation, instead of american football.
sairax

On the flip side, some federations fail to pay their players even if they've already participated in the World Cup.
Bense235

If a team has balls and is actually winning, that should be so overwhelming, they should give the money to charity or something like that. The German team did that in 1990, giving it to a Mexican organisation that promotes youth football (Mexikohilfe).
LaurieInSeattle

$8m just for making the World Cup? No wonder Honduras reacted like this (20 secs is where the fun starts): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjOv0rJYyF8

I know I've posted this before, but the pure joy still makes me a bit misty-eyed.
http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/ONE5FBEPBL5RYB3TE4MW5HWS3I tambah

Most African countries have no good football fields.FIFA could give 70% of the money to a construction company even if it will only be a of limited capacity and where fields exist roads or hospitals could be built which will benefit even the rural population.The rest can be divided according to the different levels of the competition and given ONLY after they have qualified for thenexr level.Through this, players will be more patriotic as armies in a war front who go despite the risks without BOUNSES but for the LOVE OF THEIR FATHER LAND.

TAMBAH