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Month: April 2021

YouTube star backs Monaco Esports

by: Stephanie Horsman
05/04/2021

Monaco Esports has added two new faces to their organisation, naming YouTube gaming star Jelle “Jelly” Van Vucht as International Ambassador and Daan Stots as Global Partnership Director.
Monaco resident and YouTube superstar Jelle “Jelly” Van Vucht was named Monaco Esports’ International Ambassador “for the development of its activities and reputation” on 28th March.
The 24-year-old Dutchman known professionally as Jelly became famous for uploading gaming videos on his YouTube channel, JellyYT, which are known for being family-friendly and comical. He also promotes content creators trying to establish themselves in the world of gaming with the help of a second channel called GTA5Videos. Additionally, he owns a successful clothing line.
Jelly has more than 21 million followers on his YouTube channels. He is also a member of a small group named ‘Robust’ who play games like Scrap Mechanic, Gmod and GTA and who upload videos on various gaming issues on their respective YouTube channels.
Meanwhile, Monaco resident Daan Stots is to take on the role of Global Partnership Director.
Stots, also Dutch, is the self-proclaimed “Director of Awesomeness” at Stotsy, a company that organises experiences to the Formula 1, Historic GP and Formula E in Monaco.He is also the Chief Growth Officer at The Sixty-Nine, a private members club for entrepreneurs.
Monaco Esports was founded in 2014 and is linked to the Monegasque Esports Federation. The Federation’s aim is to promote and develop esports in Monaco and Europe by offering up competitive teams and organising Esport events. Louis Ducruet, son of Princess Stephanie and sport enthusiast, was named as the Federation’s President in 2019.
Of the new appointments, he said, “It is an honour for the Federation and myself to be able to count on people like Jelly and Daan. Their support and help will be of great use in our future projects.”
Equally, Boris Fedoroff, President of Monaco Esports and co-founder of Monaco Esports Federation, has encouraging words to say of the new additions. “The Principality of Monaco is a land of welcome for many young talents throughout the world. The fact that the world’s biggest gaming YouTuber has become our International Ambassador confirms this. The Monegasque Esports Federation and the Monaco Esports Club have been working for several years to make the Principality of Monaco shine at an international level. We are delighted to welcome a partnership expert like Daan, whose role is to identify strategic partners. I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot about this Dutch duo.”
 
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AS Monaco secure third in Ligue 1

by: Stephanie Horsman
05/04/2021

In the first of two games being played between Monaco and Metz, Monaco took control, beating their opponents soundly four to nil on Saturday at home in Stade Louis II.
It was a resounding victory for the Red and Whites when they squared off Saturday against Metz, but it was still anyone’s game to win for the whole first half.
Both Monaco and Metz played well-organised games the first 45 minutes, but not a single player was able to convert. The closest Monaco came was Kevin Volland who got a rebounded shot from an attempt by Alekdansdr Golovin. The header hit the post but didn’t quite make it in.
Les Grenats had a shot as well at 41 minutes when Lamine Gueye made a beautiful shot on goal, ultimately blocked by the ever-vigilant Benjamin Lecomte.
It wasn’t until after halftime that things got interesting. About five minutes after returning from the locker rooms, Cesc Fabregas opened scoring giving him his second goal this season. Volland was hot on his heels and two minutes later knocked one between the posts, doubling the score for Monaco.
Then came the double whammy by Team Captain Wissam Ben Yedder. Played in by Caio Henrique, Ben Yedder landed the ball below the crossbar at 77 minutes in, followed by an end-of-game beauty just a minute before the game’s end, leaving Monaco the undisputed winners with a final score of 4 to 0.
This victory pushed Monaco into a tight third place spot in the Ligue 1 standings, a mere one point ahead of Lyon and one point behind PSG.
“I know we are provisionally third, but we must not get excited,” Coach Niko Kovac said after the game. “There are seven matches to play and 21 points left to distribute. Winning was our goal today. There is nothing more to say.”
Monaco faces off against Metz again on 6th April where they will see if they can keep up the pace or if Metz take their revenge.
 
Monaco Life with AS Monaco press release, photo by AS Monaco 
 
 
 
 

Roca chalk up another victory

by: Stephanie Horsman
05/04/2021

The Roca team fought tooth and nail against a determined Orleans team on Saturday and in the end came out on top, holding onto first place in the Jeep Elite standings and winning the day 92 to 80.

AS Monaco Basketball have been extremely busy. Between regular season Jeep Elite games and the Euro Cup 7 finals, there has barely been time for them to breathe. But this doesn’t stop them from winning games, and win they did on Saturday night against Orleans at home at Gaston Médecin.

It seemed like the game was going to be a cinch as the Roca team held onto the lead, sometimes quite a substantial one, for most of the first half. Then in the third quarter Orleans sprang to life and the shift was immediately clocked by Coach Zvezdan Mitrovic who reminded his players to “watch the offensive rebound”.

The Orleanais not only caught up but took the lead, prompting Monaco to fight back. The two teams were neck and neck up until the very end when the Roca boys stepped it up and sealed the deal with a 92 to 80 win.

“It was a crazy game against Orleans,” said Assistant Coach Mirko Ocokoljic. “They came back after the break with a lot of energy. We also had to share the minutes in light of Tuesday’s final. We probably spent some energy at the end, but everyone ended up in good health, without injury, that’s good. This first match of the semi-final will be decisive.”

AS Monaco made 26 shots out of 47 on the night with six for 17 at three point range. There were an astounding 42 rebounds, 14 steals, 17 stray balls and 12 assists.

Rob Gray was high scorer this game with 16 points, followed by Mathias Lessort with 13, Ibrahima Faye with 12 and Damien Inglis with 11.

Everyone is waiting to see if Monaco can continue to keep their heads in the game for Tuesday night’s semi-final match against Gran Canaria for the Euro Cup 7 finals. The team has home field advantage, and with the schedule as gruelling as this, they will need the rest to stay on top.

 
 

Spotlight on successful women in business

by: Staff Writer
05/04/2021

Every March, International Women’s Day shines a light on the challenges facing half of humanity. Therefore, the Monaco Economic Board (MEB) wanted to give the floor to female leaders who, through their stories, have shown that success is perfectly aligned with being a woman.
The MEB invited businesswomen to take part in a MEBinaire on 8th March, International Women’s Day, in partnership with the Women’s Rights Committee and the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Monaco (AFCEM).
At the opening, Céline Cottalorda, Interministerial Delegate for Women’s Rights, gave a presentation on working women, citing figures from the Monegasque Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies (IMSEE). She said that women’s success “requires breaking the glass ceiling” and that for the future, we must “put forward inspiring examples so that young people can follow the path”.
Some of those examples were presented during the virtual event.
Johanna Houdrouge, Vice-president at Mercure International and President of AFCEM, presented the values ​​and ambitions of the association which she took over as head this year and gave her point of view as an entrepreneur, saying “It is high time that professional equality should be everyone’s concern and not just women”.
Four female business leaders and members of the MEB followed, speaking of their accomplishments as well as their difficulties in having to show “twice, rather than once, the fact that a woman can run a business”.
Anne-Marie Noir, CEO of ASEPTA Laboratories and Vice-President of AFCEM, Victoria Stevenson, General Director of Columbus Hotel Monte-Carlo, Claire Gaven, Director of Life and Business Development at Suisscourtage Assurances and Emmanuelle Bouvet, President of Monétique Bouvet Solutions and Deputy Vice-President and Treasurer of AFCEM all spoke about their visions, each with their own words and experiences, all driven by a tremendous desire to act and succeed despite the pitfalls.
It was a 100% female MEBinary, as it was led by Virginie Gianangeli, MEB Operations and Membership Manager, and Delphine Quilichini, MEB Communications Officer.
Highlighting women’s success and their sense of entrepreneurship was not limited to the MEBinaire. The Monaco Economic Board says it wishes to shine the spotlight on the role of women in the economy throughout the entire year to support the conviction that success has no gender and is always richer in its diversity.
 
 

Monaco to bring forward spring break

by: Cassandra Tanti
03/04/2021

The government has decided to join France in bringing the spring school holiday period forward by two weeks.
After consultation with schools, teachers, parents’ associations and the National Council, the government announced on Saturday that the spring break will begin the evening of Friday 9th April as opposed to the scheduled 22nd April. School will resume on 26th April.
It brings Monaco in line with the French education system with regards to the holiday, after an announcement by French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday.
However, unlike France, face-to-face classes will continue in Monaco for the week starting Tuesday 6th April.
The Association of Parents of Students (APEM) had argued against the move, saying it would be difficult for families who had already made plans for the holiday period.
“However, the objective of the government is to find a balance between the quality of education and the best possible health protection for students and staff,” it said in a statement. “The advancement of the holidays ensures both the quality of education and health safety in schools.”
Meanwhile, given the majority of teachers reside in France, the government anticipated severe staff reduction if they didn’t bring forward the holiday.
“It would strongly impact the regularity of courses taught and the necessary supervision to welcome students in the best possible health conditions,” it said. “In addition, the teaching teams consider that the advance of the school holidays as beneficial in the face of the state of fatigue of staff and students due to all the constraints that weigh on the daily functioning of schools.”
 
 
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash 
 
 

Monaco holds top spot for real estate

by: Stephanie Horsman
02/04/2021

Monaco remains the most expensive place on earth to buy property despite the Covid crisis, with an average price of €47,600 per square metre in 2020.

In the latest annual report by Savills, the number two position goes to Hong Kong, where a square metre costs €39,600.  

Not to be left out, New York rounds out the top three with an average per metre price of €22,200, showing the Big Apple is still a desirable place to be.

These figures for 2020, as eye-watering as they may be, represent a drop from the previous year. Monaco saw a small 1.1% decline in value compared to 2019, whilst Hong Kong took a slightly bigger hit, falling by 3.9%.

These same three cities also have the highest rental prices per square metre. Monaco is top of the heap with the average cost hovering at €89 per square metre. New York surpasses Hong Kong on this front though, with every square metre there costing renters €66 compared to €60.

In a year that was marked by Covid, it is not surprising to see that transaction numbers in Monaco declined by 11% in 2020 compared to the previous year. The number of properties sold with four or more bedrooms plummeted by 38%, while villa transactions fell by 5%. This is attributed to the impact of travel restrictions which left overseas buyers largely out of the equation.

The most active price point in Monaco was in properties under €5 million, accounting for 71% of all sales. In this area, transactions were down by only 6%. On the other end of the spectrum, those priced at over €10 million were down by a significant 39%.  

That being said, buyers at the higher price points weren’t finding any fire sales. Prices remained stable , showing a willingness to buy in Monaco in 2020 at pre-pandemic prices. In fact, the decline in transactions at 1.1% appears to be a minor blip due to circumstances and the forecast is that the upward trajectory will continue.

Meanwhile, rental prices, whilst the highest in the world, dropped in 2020 by 23%. This is thought to be due to a fall in demand brought on by the health crisis. Less new residents, who often rent before buying, meant less renters in general, thus reducing demand. This trend is expected to reverse once travel restrictions are lifted.  

Savills predicts a general surge in demand in the Principality when the worst of the pandemic effects are over in the coming year. 

 
Photo of Monaco by Cassandra Tanti for Monaco Life