'Supporter for sale' finds new home

Ben Dudley will be cheering tottenham Hotspur next seasonBen Dudley put his support up for auction after Cardiff City were rebrandedA winning bid of $1,324 sees him support Tottenham Hotspur next seasonBids on eBay came from Melbourne, New York and SeattleDudley's father has always supported Tottenham

(CNN) -- A Cardiff City fan who became so disillusioned with the rebranding of the football club he followed that he put his support up for auction on eBay has a new team to follow -- Tottenham Hotspur.

The final straw for Cardiff fan Ben Dudley was the decision by the Welsh team's Malaysian owners to rebrand the club by insisting they play in red rather than their traditional blue to boost their appeal to Asian audiences.

The internet sparked global interest with Dudley's support eventually bought by a Spurs fan for over a thousand dollars.

"The reception from Spurs fans that have been in contact with me has been great and I've had offers of help with tickets and people to attend games with," Dudley told CNN.

"I will also be looking to attend some Europa League fixtures, with my only previous experience of European football coming from watching Cardiff City win the Algarve Cup against Celtic in 2008."

Trips to Tottenham's home ground will involve a 320 mile round-trip for Dudley, but he doesn't seem daunted as at one stage it looked like he might have to travel abroad in his new supporter project.

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"I was rather worried at this stage. Traveling to Middlesbrough and Sunderland away with Cardiff was one thing, but Melbourne Victory away was probably pushing it!

"Just when it looked like I would be clocking up some serious air miles, a bidder from north London came in and won the auction with a bid of $1,324."

Cardiff City have come agonizingly close to promotion to the Premier League in the last few years, so Dudley is looking forward to experiencing life in English football' s top.

"I am most excited about visiting new grounds and the new experiences that Tottenham Hotspur will bring."

By a curious twist of fate, Dudley already has an association with Tottenham as his father is a Spurs supporter.

"Tottenham Hotspur are the team supported by my father, meaning that I will be able to talk to him about footballers he cares about."

The eBay bid has only bought Dudley's support for a season, but he is already making plans for next year in case Cardiff City don't return to being the club he used to support.

"I'm praying it's a one season only thing. If it isn't, then I will either stick with Spurs, as I believe they are a club who can restore a bit of my faith in modern football, or donate the cost of my Cardiff season ticket to charity and watch non-league football instead."

However, having become so disheartened with Cardiff , the internet auction has gone some way to restoring his faith in football.

"While in an ideal world I would still feel connected to Cardiff enough to support them, Tottenham have gone a long way to show the good side of the game.

"If you don't get goosebumps when Tottenham fans sing "oh when the Spurs" then you either support one of their rivals or you probably don't like football very much."

The winning bid proceeds are to be split between British military charity Help for Heroes and Ty Hafan, a charity that help life-limited children in South Wales.

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