By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Principality of Monaco is ready to provide a temporary solution for AS Monaco, as revealed by L’Equipe on Thursday.
With the EuroLeague participant and president Alexey Fedorychev dealing with serious financial difficulties, and players recently nearing a decision to abandon the daily team schedule, the Principality will be taking over the club until the arrival of a new majority shareholder.
Monaco later confirmed the team is undergoing a structured transition phase.
Per the press release: “AS Monaco Basket is currently in a structured transition phase. The club is operationally stable, and sporting activities continue as normal. All stakeholders are fully aligned and actively working toward a long-term solution that will further strengthen the project.
Given the quality, momentum, and strategic importance of the club, there is full confidence that this phase will be concluded positively in the very near future.
The Government of Monaco recognises the strong image and value of the club and supervises the situation to ensure its future remains as promising as the recent rise of the Roca Team.”
This process was already considered inevitable with unpaid salaries constantly piling up over recent months, naturally disrupting the day-to-day schedule for the team coached by Vassilis Spanoulis. Awaiting their salaries, the players reportedly threatened to strike before France’s Betclic Elite Regular Season Round 14 meeting with BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque on January 13, before partial payments eventually persuaded them to suit up according to the initial schedule.
The club’s instability has also led to transfer bans at both continental and domestic levels. Sanctions by the respective leagues prevented former NBA champion Cory Joseph from ever debuting for La Roca Team, despite signing a contract in early December. The 34-year-old point guard recently moved on to fellow EuroLeague outfit, Olympiacos.
Taking over, after finalizing the process in alignment with the local government, the Principality is intervening to save the club from a total collapse at every level, covering a transition to a possible deal with a new majority shareholder and an improved financial situation.
At 15-9 in the 2025-26 EuroLeague Regular Season, Monaco is tied in sixth place with Valencia, at the lowest seed that guarantees a spot in the Playoffs 2026, trailing first place by 1.5 games and four games away from elimination. Domestically, a league sanction has reduced the tally to 14-2, which is enough to lead the standings by a distance of 1.5 games from second place.