The taxi arrived at the impressive mansion in Faqra and I made my way through the blistering sun towards the entrance. I was met by two servants and directed to Mr Haider’s room. He had faxed me a contract, the terms of which were ridiculously low, and I was determined to get a better deal for my client.

A peek at my watch revealed it was 11.30. I’d arrived just in time, despite the flight delays at Frankfurt and the queues at Beirut airport. In front of Haider’s door I cleared my throat, tightened my tie, gathered all my courage and entered the room. ‘Mr Haider, I am delighted to meet you’, I said, rather too exuberantly. ‘Ahlan Wilhelm, welcome my friend’, said Haider. ‘I just have to say goodbye to my important visitors. Please make yourself at home while you’re waiting.’
A servant led me to a large room where there were two men and, in the far corner, a beautiful oriental woman. I sat down in a chair and waited for Mr Haider. An elaborate clock chimed twelve, but there was still no sign of him. By now the other three were thoroughly enjoying their lunch, which I had refused out of politeness. To keep my nerves steady I had only accepted a glass of arak. By 12.15 my patience had started to desert me. I was going to be too late for my next meeting. How could I trust Mr Haider if he had already broken his promise beforehand?

Eventually, at 12.30, Mr Haider entered the room. He looked extremely relaxed in his traditional dress and I jumped up to greet him. Before approaching me he first kissed both men and had a brief conversation with the woman. I had prepared myself well for this moment. I gave him a firm handshake and seated myself.
‘Ahlan Wilhelm, welcome to Lebanon’, he said. Looking at the table, he added: ‘I hope you enjoyed your delicious lunch with my beloved sons, Alain and Elie, and of course with my habibi, Charlotte.’
‘Mr Haider’, I replied, ‘Thank you for your warm reception, but I ate on the plane. My client is extremely pleased about your interest and he is looking forward to playing for such an illustrious club as Al Ansar. Shall we come to terms as quickly as possible so we can finalise this matter in the best interest of both parties?’ ‘Shouf Wilhelm’, he retorted. ‘Please call me Hashem. But why the rush? We have the time for business until the sun walks out on us! When will your client arrive?’

I told him that my client, a goalkeeper who had played for German, Italian and British teams, as well as for his home country, Denmark, would be unable to attend the negotiations. ‘The thing is . . .’ (I hesitated: how could I call him by his first name and show my total respect?) ‘It’s usual for a player to leave such dealings to his agent.’
Mr Haider seemed disgruntled, but agreed to talk. He called his two sons over while his wife quietly headed for the door. As she passed by I respectfully looked her in the eye and wished her a pleasant day.

The bargaining process began and, quite disconcertingly, Mr Haider’s sons joined in. Was he hoping to get the upper hand through force of numbers? Could I trust his sons to honour the confidentiality aspect of the negotiation? I was concerned details would leak out to the predators from the international press. After an hour we had reached an impasse, but I couldn’t really understand why. Mr Haider refused to provide me with a bank guarantee with respect to my client’s salary and signing-on fee. In fact, Mr Haider persistently refused to go into financial matters. These could be discussed the next day, he insisted, since they would not be a problem as far as he was concerned.
But for me they were the problem. And that was why we had reached a stalemate.

Questions

1. What is the significance of the title of this case?

2. How would you define the problem from your perspective?

3. What do you think has caused the so-called stalemate? Refer to the cultural values outlined in this chapter that have had an impact on the way the agent handled his encounter with Mr Haider. Mention, in particular, issues relating to:

● Time focus;

● Competition;

● Action;

● Space;

● Communication; and 

● Structure.

4. How do you think Wilhelm can rescue the deal?

5. How can Wilhelm best prepare for any future negotiations in the Middle East on behalf of his football clients?