160 pages Edited by Faouzi Mahdjoub, Alain Leiblang, François-René Simon Foreword by Daniel Cohn-Bendit 20,3 x 12,7 cm Language: French Paperback Publisher: Calmann-Lévy 2008
On the morning of May 22, 1968, a group of rebellious footballers decided to occupy the headquarters of the French Football Federation at 60 bis avenue d’Iéna in Paris. This occupation, which lasted only a few days, had as its motto the idea of giving “football back to the footballers.”
Forty years later, the history of French sport has made little mention of this act of protest. Yet the world of football was transformed by it. The representation of key stakeholders was acknowledged and responsibilities were more evenly shared. Certain restrictive administrative regulations were abolished (such as lifetime contracts), and without undergoing a full revolution, French football took on a new face.
On January 26, 2007, this motto — displayed for five days on the façade of the Federation by these “football diehards” — took on special significance when it became the campaign slogan of Michel Platini in his bid to become president of UEFA (Union of European Football Associations)
