If you’re a follower of the Ekstraklasa, Poland’s premier football league, you wouldn’t have been surprised at Dariusz Banasik being named November’s manager of the month.
But many were left amused as well as baffled when they saw what the manager had been handed for his efforts.
Having led Radomiak Radom to three victories out of three in November, manager Dariusz Banasik was presented with a copy of Football Manager 2022.
Football Manager being one of the title sponsors for the league, managers are awarded the latest edition of the simulation-based game for being Manager of the Month – perhaps the reason why they look sombre and uninterested while receiving their prize.
🚨⚽️ | NEW: The Manager Of the Month in Poland’s Ekstraklasa League has won a copy of FM22 as his award pic.twitter.com/UKLxuXGkTa
— Football For All (@FootballlForAll) December 16, 2021
Many believe the prize to be grossly disproportionate to the achievement, especially when compared to the likes of managers in bigger leagues who are at least awarded gorgeous looking trophies.
But it’s better than it looks, though, as some fans have also pointed out, suggesting playing the virtual game might actually enhance managerial skills in real life.
Disproportionate or not, but when compared to other peculiar prizes from the history of such awards, a game based on management for managers doesn’t seem so bad after all.