His Serene Highness Prince Albert II addressed the Roca Team’s mounting difficulties directly in a statement dated Friday, September 4, calling for the club to be rebuilt on solid foundations following weeks of financial and administrative turmoil that have threatened the Roca Team’s professional status.

“The performances of the Roca Team, its European standing, and the enthusiasm it generates have contributed significantly to Monaco’s international reputation,” the Sovereign said in the statement. “We must give it the means to continue its story while guaranteeing stability, transparency and local anchoring.”

He added that these difficulties must be overcome collectively, with ambition and a sense of responsibility, drawing a parallel to a similarly difficult period the club faced back in 1991.

The Sovereign’s intervention comes at the end of a turbulent summer for the club. Monaco was first denied entry into Betclic Élite by the DNCCG in early July, over concerns about the club’s financial guarantees, a decision later upheld by the Federation’s appeals chamber despite the club’s efforts to strengthen its takeover file.

A proposed rescue built around former NBA player Jamal Mashburn ultimately collapsed after promised funds failed to materialise, while a separate approach involving Brazilian football icon Ronaldinho was explored and then abandoned before an appeal to the Federal Bureau. With reinstatement into the LNB no longer realistic, Monaco was subsequently excluded from the EuroCup, replaced by Bosna Sarajevo, and has since applied to join Nationale Masculine 1, French basketball’s third tier, as it looks to rebuild from a considerably lower starting point.

Against that backdrop, Prince Albert extended his confidence directly to the club’s players, coaching staff, executives, volunteers and supporters, framing the moment as a call for unity in defence of an institution that has, over the course of its history, become a genuine showcase for Monaco.

Image courtesy of Direction de la Communication – Stéphane Danna