29 ° C
Profile

Day: 5 August 2019

Falcao hints at Monaco exit

by: Cassandra Tanti
05/08/2019

Radamel Falcao could soon be on his way out of Monaco. After taking his team to victory on Saturday night, the Colombian striker admitted he is considering leaving Ligue 1 if an appealing offer comes along.

ASM head coach Leonardo Jardim with captain Radamel Falcao. Photo: AS Monaco FC

Falcao scored the match winner against Sampdoria on Saturday night, giving his team a win in the final ASM preparation match before the start of the League 1 championship on Friday against Lyon. Thousands gathered at the Stade Louis II for the final of the first edition of the Philipp Plein Cup and were also able to witness the first steps of Benjamin Lecomtein his new environment, after joining ASM in July.

But it isn’t Falcao’s goal that has the media buzzing, it is his interview with Monaco Matinafterwards during which the captain revealed that he is looking for a longer deal which will give him more security.

Photo: AS Monaco FC

“The truth is that I have one year left on my contract and the club has not offered me an extension,” said the 33-year-old. “So I need to think about my future, my family. I am in the process of assessing the offers that have been made to me. These are good opportunities for my career. I need to think about my family… I have only one year left on my deal and it is complicated for a player of my age. I hope to find a solution for me and for Monaco.”

Asked about the idea of waiting until January to join a free club for the following summer, the Colombian rebuffed: “No, there are good offers.”

Falcao’s comments directly contradict the words of club Director General Oleg Petrov, who just a few days ago told AFP: “Several clubs, not only Galatasaray, are interested in Falcao – our captain and one of our best players. It’s important for us that he stays, unless an exceptional offer comes in. If he leaves, we would need to find a player of his calibre to replace him”.

The club which has been most strongly linked to Falcao is Galatasaray, although there has been talk that he would return to Porto. There is also a chance he could come back to LaLiga, possibly to Valencia, who are looking to strengthen their frontline.

Meanwhile, Monaco are reportedly keen on signing Juventus goalkeeper Mattia Perin after his proposed transfer to Benfica fell through. Perin was all set for Benfica until they pulled out of the deal, citing a shoulder problem in his medical.

Aston Villa then held talks with the 26-year-old last week, but the Premier League side ultimately brought in Tom Heaton from Burnley.

Consequently, according to Gazzetta dello Sport’s Nicolo Schira, this has left the path clear for Monaco to make their move.

Schira explains that a deal could be agreed on the proviso of a season-long loan with a fee and an option to buy next summer.

On the other hand, the Principality outfit recently splashed out €13 million on shot-stopper Benjamin Lecomte, while they still have Danjiel Subasic and Diego Benaglio on their books.

Contemporary Italian artists at the Adriano Ribolzi Gallery

by: Cassandra Tanti
05/08/2019

The public has only a few more weeks to discover an exceptional exhibition of four contemporary Italian artists currently on show at the Adriano Ribolzi Gallery in Monaco.

Galerie Adriano Ribolzi was inaugurated in 1974 at Avenue des Beaux-Arts and specialised in French and continental furniture of the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as various paintings, sculptures and objets d’art.

In 1998, the gallery moved to Avenue de l’Hermitage and was inaugurated in the presence of Prince Rainier III and Albert of Monaco. Since 2010, the gallery has been organising temporary exhibitions, including a dedicated summer exhibition, such as the Andy Warhol exhibition in 2013.

This year, the Adriano Ribolzi Gallery is showcasing the works of four Italian artists: Mario Schifano, Sergio Fermariello, Pablo Atchugarry and Fabio Viale.

Mario Schifano (1934 to 1998) was a close friend of Andy Warhol and is best known for his Postmodern collages combining advertising imagery, wrapping paper and painted elements. His work often referred to popular culture or art history featuring well known brand logos or kitsch recurring motifs in the vein of Pop-Art. Constantly adapting to contemporary culture, Schifano worked in numerous media, shifting between film, music or photography, often employing more than one at a time. He is considered to be one of the most significant and pre-eminent artists of Italian postmodernism and the gallery will feature around 30 of his works for viewing and purchase.

Pablo Atchugarry, In the Way of Harmony

Pablo Atchugarry, born in 1954, is a contemporary sculptor known for his marble works which resemble the monoliths of early civilizations. Considered a major contemporary sculptor, his works are included in many high collections, both private and public, and he has held more than one hundred solo and collective exhibitions worldwide.

The collection by Sergio Fermariello, born in 1961, reveals his obsessive repetition of the warrior figure.

Sergio Fermariello

While the youngest of the four, 44-year-old Fabio Viale, applies a unique approach to the art of traditional sculpture, looking at the old and familiar in new ways. With a remarkable technical mastery of marble, the artist creates accurate and intricate replicas of everyday objects and life-size Venuses or Madonnas, with the texture and appearance of Styrofoam, paper, rubber or tattooed skin.

The artists’ works will be on show at the Adriano Ribolzi Gallery until 31st August.

Read also: Ribolzi Gallery exhibits prominent Italian contemporary works

Riviera forges new relationship with China

by: Cassandra Tanti
05/08/2019

Nice Côte d’Azur airport has welcomed its first direct flight from China. The new route is considered a major boost not only to tourism in the French Riviera and Monaco, it will also help facilitate business opportunities in region.

On Friday 2nd August, Nice Côte d’Azur airport welcomed Air China’s A330-200, the first Chinese airline to open a direct line between China and Nice.

@aeroportsdelacotedazur/jeromekelagopian

On hand to celebrate the inaugural flight were Bernard Gonzalez, Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes, Jinsong, Minister at the Chinese Embassy in France, Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice, president of Metropole Nice Côte d’Azur and vice-president of the southern region, Chinese actor Liu Ye as ambassador of tourism of the Côte d’Azur in China and honorary citizen of the city of Nice, and Tan Huamin, vice president of Air China.

Mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi, centre, during the official welcoming ceremony with a host of officials @aeroportsdelacotedazur/jeromekelagopian

“It is a great honour to become the first airport in France, after Paris, to connect our territory to China, the world’s leading source of tourists,” said Dominique Thillaud, CEO of Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur. “This new road represents many economic opportunities for the Côte d’Azur, and more broadly the entire southern region, and participates fully in strengthening its attractiveness throughout the world. The confidence shown by Air China in our territory is an honour to us and, above all, obliges us to make this development a success.”

@aeroportsdelacotedazur/jeromekelagopian

In 2018, the Nice Côte d’Azur airport received 83,000 indirect passengers from China, including 53,000 Chinese nationals. In the last five years, passenger traffic from Beijing has increased by 51%, a sign of growing interest from Chinese tourists to the Riviera.

During the summer of 2018, the airport doubled its long-haul destinations, with the addition of a direct link to Kuwait and another to China. Now positioned in the heart of a network connecting 23 airports in France to nearly 100 international destinations, Nice Côte d’Azur has asserted itself as a real alternative to major European hubs.

@aeroportsdelacotedazur/jeromekelagopian

This situation was reinforced in June with the launch of a new self-connecting service called Nice Connect, allowing all travellers to combine any flight, from any company and terminal, with more than 23,000 possible combinations per week in high season.