We are in 2024 AD and a village populated by die-hard Gauls is still resisting the onslaught of football business. If it is a caricature, the formula underlines how Stade Brestois appeals to this “small” Ligue 1 club, today sitting at the table with the biggest. Starting with that of a Real Madrid in the fifteen Champions League that it will face at the end of January…
To achieve this, the Breton club only relied on its game, played out by a collective without stars, and developed by an organization chart from which no head protrudes. A club unanimously recognized as “healthy” in an environment that is often less so.
For AFP, “Brest, today, it’s a big club”
Building on its unforgettable run last season, Stade Brestois has been attracting interest well beyond the borders of Brittany for some time now. From the major national media, from Figaro to Libération via TF1 or Le Parisien, to some of the biggest names in the foreign press (The guardian, Marca, La gazzetta dello sport, etc.), many have echoed of the exploits of Captain Brendan Chardonnet, him, the “little guy around the corner”, and his family, eager to know more about this magic potion at the origin of so many miracles at the tip of Armorica. The recipe is however simple: “When I arrived here, I discovered a club where the president presides, the director directs and where the coach coaches. It may seem stupid to say but this normality no longer necessarily applies in today’s football and it is very appreciable”, summarized, last year, the druid Éric Roy, elevated to the rank of “King” by his supporters.
The story of Brest resonates with all people who love football and who say to themselves: “There, this time, it’s Brest. But maybe it could be my team, my team at heart.”
As if by miracle, the alignment of the planets born from this alchemy has continued, this season, in the Champions League, a competition where it has a priori nothing to do, generating an enthusiasm well beyond the contours of the metropolis at the end. of the world. “It is obvious that Brest pleases with its friendly, iconoclastic, refreshing, unique and uninhibited side,” indicates Frédéric Happe, journalist at AFP. Before continuing: “For us, Brest, today, it’s a big club. We treat it as such and we also measure it by the significant number of times our photos and articles are taken up on match nights.”
“There is a soul in this team”
To the question “Has Brest won the hearts of the French?” “, Laurent Paganelli, the colorful Canal + consultant, having taken a liking to the Breton club, responds bluntly: “It’s necessary because of what the club gives off. Thanks to them, we are starting to put football back at the center of the debate. In this society where we put the individual above everything, we talk about the team, about Brest, about the Bretons. It’s great for the whole of France and all the supporters.” Thomas Sénécal, his boss in the sports department of the Canal + group, broadcaster of the Champions League, says no less. “On Canal, we admire this journey which is as extraordinary as it is unexpected. I think everyone identifies with this team, with its powerful values of combativeness and humility.” Result ? “Our consultants all want to comment on Brest, because it’s a sensation! A very beautiful adventure with a unique touch, too: not playing the matches in Brest but in Guingamp adds to the heroic, epic side. There is a soul in this team. »
“The Brest adventure impresses and fascinates”
Concrete illustration of the attractiveness exerted by the small Gallic production which became blockbuster, remake of “David against Goliath”? The nearly 700,000 viewers gathered in front of Brest-Leverkusen, although scheduled at 6:45 p.m. on Canal + Foot. “An excellent audience”, assures Sénécal, comparable to that which can be generated by prestigious posters broadcast in “prime time” on the main encrypted channel, “which shows to what extent the Brest adventure impresses and fascinates”.
Lionel Dangoumau, editorial director of L’Équipe, agrees. “We can clearly see that this incredible route is of interest and not only in the West. The story of Brest resonates with all people who love football and who say to themselves: “There, this time, it’s Brest. But maybe it could be my team, my team at heart.” It gives a little faith back to all football fans,” he assures. After the success of SB29 in Prague, the largest sports daily in France made the strong editorial choice to put on the front page and open its newspaper on Brest, to the detriment of PSG which was playing at the same time. A “natural” choice for Dangoumau. “We favored the beautiful French story, especially since it is a victory which almost gives Brest the assurance of competing in the play-offs. For us, it was strong enough for it to be the front page, rather than the defeat of PSG, which was much less pleasing. »
Likewise, when Jérôme Rothen (read elsewhere) indicates that his daily show on RMC “cannot miss such an epic”, Clément Gavard, editor-in-chief of the So Foot site, assures that the Brest course “gives want to write about it, with this comforting side reminding us that football is not just reserved for the rich and powerful.”
If they are not safe from the sky falling on their heads, this Tuesday, in Barcelona, the Brestois have already struck very hard. “Grosbarnum” and others know this well. By Toutatis!
Morocco
