The best can see their match bonus doubled

The film could be entitled "The revenge of supporters" or "Web 2.0 applied to football". The story is simple: feeling dispossessed clubs they support with passion by investors of the "sports business", a growing number of football fans gather on community Web sites. Their goal: initiate subscriptions, take control of a second team and collectively manage to lead gradually to the elite. Three projects of this type are competing in France: Cmonclubdefoot.fr, Wehaveadream and, to a lesser extent, led by Sporever, the society of the former journalist Patrick Chêne.

"It is neither more nor less than to apply the concept of the"partners"that exists in Spain for a century", summarizes Walid Benothman, one of the founders of Cmonclubdefoot.fr. In addition-Pyrenees, "socio" is a supporter holding a social club that it supports. For example, the FC Barcelona belongs to more than 120,000 "partners", every four years, elect the President and its Steering Committee. A cooperative system, in sum, as opposed to purely liberal arrangements in force in France, but especially in Britain, where the clubs have the status of corporations and are owned by shareholders from the business world and that may at any time to "make money" with their team (see sidebar).

Thanks to the participatory Web

Very clearly, in France, the rise of the communities of supporters is linked to the development of the participatory Web to federate a significant number of people at a lower cost. It is also explained by the tensions accumulated between the supporters and leaders in many clubs. Be MTP, Nantes and Marseille, the fans, and including the most ardent of them, the "ultras", have the feeling that the club belongs to them. Strike of the applause, call for the resignation of coach or President, very physical in training centres, as intimidation recently Jonelière, FC Nantes complex: this sentimental appropriation is the source of numerous overflows. It reflects the malaise of enthusiasts, disconcerted to see their club pass from the hands of Dassault to the businessman of Polish origin Waldemar Kita, to take the case of FC Nantes or from those of Canal to us investment fund Colony Capital, to speak of the MTP.

A rise in League 2

Launched in summer 2007 by four thirty young graduates in marketing having their weapons in Capgemini or Solomon, Cmonclubdefoot.fr says bringing together more than 2,000 members each having subscribed 50 euros. The objective is to join a club of CFA, the equivalent of the French fourth division, and raise in League 2 in five years. Red Star, the Racing Club de France 92 Moissy-Cramayel US have been "screened" by users. The final choice should be announced in the coming weeks. The Wehaveadream site, which offers to its readers to make any type of dream, following the same approach: take control of a club of CFA and take it, this time in Ligue 1. Some 1.662 "dreamers" already paid 20 euros to accomplish this dream. Should be 20,000, indicates the site. But, the initiators of the operation may not have drawn profit of an advertising campaign important for the project (campaign to display 4 3 in the Paris Metro, spot on Canal with host Pierre Ménès and goalkeeper Jérôme Alonzo, with a budget estimated at 200,000 euros), they receive support in weight. Already, the Union of youth (UJA) Armenian of Alfortville has agreed to be the "prey" to the raid of a new genus. Its President, Gilles Baudu, founder of the free "Paris Paname", joined Michel Moulin, another specialist of the newspapers for announcements, Director General of the Hersant group to "create a second big club in Paris.

An active role

We structure the club and recruit partners such as Duarig, Partouche or the Grande Arche de la Défense", explains that just announce the launch of a new sports daily. "With Gilles Baudu, we plan to adopt the status of UAS anonymous sport professional society, Editor's note and share us capital." If we climb in National, it will double the budget, to 1.5 million, and play at the stade Charléty, he continues. But, so far, ask to move forward by buying players, we want to remain faithful to the tradition of formation of the UJA.

In England, the website Myfootballclub.co.uk brought 30,000 Internet users (with annual subscription EUR 40) to take control of a fifth division club. "We speak about redemption, this scares the leaders," temper on this side of the channel the founders of the French version Cmonclubdefoot.fr. "We want above all is an active role with proposals on both social and economic plan than sports." "But we believe that the operational management should remain the domain of the coach and the President," said Walid Benothman. No question, not more, for the latter, to use their site as a "joystick" of a video game. A Issy les Moulineaux, in the Hauts-de-Seine, the Ararat AS players are noted in each game by the community of Internet users by Football365.fr, Sporever site. The best can see their match bonus doubled. Between this extreme interactivity (although tempered by a set of jokers) and the ex nihilo to a tenor of French soccer constitution, French fans-Internet users appear to have chosen a middle path. The voice of reason in view of their low financial surface.