Portugal has an all-star team across attack, midfield and defence.
Cristiano Ronaldo. Bruno Fernandes. Bernardo Silva. Pedro Neto. Vitinha. João Cancelo. These are not ordinary players. On paper, Portugal is a frightening team. But when Portugal played their first match against DR Congo, the result was 1-1. For a team as strong as Portugal, that result total disaster, just like their neighbour, Spain 0-0 against Cape Verde.
The issue was poor collective execution. They were all like “prima donna football”. They wanted touches. They wanted to score badly by creating the final ball. Some wanted to interpret the game in their own way. There was quality everywhere, but there was not enough directness, urgency and clarity.
But more accurately, it was a case of too much individual interpretation within the same system.
In simple words: Too many cooks spoiled the broth.
Then came the match against Uzbekistan.
After watching Portugal struggle against Congo, I was seriously hesitating until my partner say “Portugal scored already”. I honestly expected another difficult match. Maybe a draw. Maybe a narrow 1-0 win. I even thought that if Portugal scored, it might not be Cristiano Ronaldo.
I switched on the match at about 1.15a.m., around the 15th minute, and Portugal were already 1-0 up at the 6 minutes. Who scored? I checked who scored. It was Cristiano Ronaldo. That made me stay glued to the match. I realized the tempo was different. The passing was faster. The players were more direct. Ronaldo was properly served. Portugal controlled the game with greater discipline and clarity.
Then came the second goal, again by Cristiano Ronaldo, and from there, the rest was history.
I was too sleepy and left after the first half, but by then I already felt the match could end 4-0, 5-0 or even 6-0, provided Portugal continued to follow the system and maintain the tempo and alas this morning when I woke up after prayers and bible reading, it was 5-0.
And here is the interesting part.
Portugal played the same system, 4-2-3-1. That means:
4 defenders
2 defensive or central midfielders
3 attacking midfielders or wingers
1 striker
So the problem was not the system. It was simply execution, attitude and discipline.
The problem was that good players were playing within a good system, but in the first match, they did not fully submit themselves to the system.
So what about FRANCHISING?
A franchise may have a good brand, good products, proper SOPs, a strong operations manual, training manuals, marketing guidelines and a proven business model. But if every franchisee, outlet manager or staff member interprets the system in their own way, the brand becomes inconsistent.
Example: One outlet changes the service style.
One outlet changes the menu
One outlet changes the pricing.
One outlet ignores cleanliness standards.
One outlet uses unapproved suppliers.
One outlet thinks it knows better than the system.
At first, these may look like small deviations. But over time, these deviations damage the brand.
That is why auditing is so important in franchising. Auditing is not punishing the franchisees or being difficult. It is not about control for the sake of control. BUT to maintain system standards.
It protects the brand and ensure consistency. It detects deviation early and corrects non-compliance. So that it preserves the integrity of the franchise system. As a franchise consultant, I create a 5 star franchise operation manual but if the franchisor has lackadaisical attitude, the franchise will fail. This is especially so, when the franchisees becomes too familiar with the franchisor.
In football, coaches review match footage to see whether players kept their shape, followed instructions, tracked back, pressed correctly and executed the game plan.
In franchising, auditing performs the same function.
It checks whether the outlet is still following the system. Because a system without auditing is just a promise on paper. A good franchise system must be taught, practised, followed, monitored and corrected and Portugal showed us an important lesson that talent alone is not enough or a good system alone is not enough. The real power comes when talented people submit to a disciplined system and execute it together. It is the discipline that keeps the franchise alive.