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Month: September 2022

Venturi rebrand as Monaco Sports Group

by: Luke Entwistle
06/09/2022

ROKiT Venturi Racing, who finished runners-up in the Formula E world championship this year, have changed their name. The Principality team will now race under ‘Monaco Sports Group’.

The team has changed their name ahead of the ninth Formula E season, which looks set to begin in Mexico in January. The Monaco Sports Group (MSG) will be led by Scott Swid and managing partner José M Aznar Botella, whilst it has been confirmed that the team will maintain its headquarters within the Principality.

Speaking in a press release, Swid said, “After completing our most successful season in history, I’m extremely proud to open our next chapter as Monaco Sports Group from Season 9 onwards. We have the passion, determination, and experience to compete at the front of the grid, and alongside our partnership with Maserati and their return to top-tier motorsport for the first time in 60 years, we’re facilitating one of the most exciting stories in international sport.”

He continued, “This spirit stems from our own origins as one of Formula E’s founding teams when, in 2013, Venturi Automobiles President and electric mobility pioneer Gildo Pastor made the bold decision to form Venturi Racing ahead of Formula E’s first season. To honour this legacy, we will race with the same ambitious ethos as Formula E – one of the fastest-growing sporting platforms in the world – reaching new heights in 2023 with the revolutionary Gen3 car which represents the pinnacle of electric vehicle performance. I can’t begin to express how excited we are to line up on the grid in Mexico City this January as we kick off Season 9.”

 

Lucas Di Grassi (BRA), ROKiT Venturi Racing, Jerome d’Ambrosio, Team Principal, ROKiT Venturi Racing, Delphine Biscaye, Team Manager, ROKiT Venturi Racing, Edoardo Mortara (CHE), ROKiT Venturi Racing, and the Venturi team celebrate after securing third place in the championship. Photo source: ROKiT Venturi Racing

 

 

 

 

 

Save lives and have fun at Trott ‘n’ Roll

by: Stephanie Horsman
06/09/2022

This year’s Trott ‘n’ Roll charity event will benefit not only children fighting for their lives but will also honour Monaco’s firefighters in a family-friendly day of outdoor pursuits, including bouncy castles, a skate park and even a parade with motorbikes where kids can join and get a ride!

The Flavien Foundation is back with their biggest event of the year. Trott ‘n’ Roll, under the slogan ‘Together, let’s save lives’, will ask the people of Monaco to join them in a day of activities and fun to raise funds and awareness to fight paediatric cancer.

The full day runs from 9am to 6pm on Saturday 17th September at the Jardins d’Apolline and Allée Sauvaigo in Monaco and will feature inflatable structures to play on, a skate park, Star Wars light sabre action, rides for kids on a motorbike parade through the streets of the Principality with a Rebel Riders Monaco Motorcycle Club, Appaloosa Riders or Indian Motorcycle Club member, and demonstrations of first aid methods that could save someone’s life.

Electric bikes from Lenny’s E-Moto will also be on hand as well as Ephemeral Tattoos, who offer real tattoos without a life-long commitment.

Additionally, there will be refreshments so that when hunger strikes, there will be no need to leave the fun.

The raffle will have amazing prizes and tickets will be on sale from 14th September at the shopping centre in Fontvieille, as well as on site the day of the event.

Fondation Flavien has been around since 2014 and was created after the untimely passing of eight-year-old Flavien, a local boy who suffered from brain cancer. In its history, it has collected €743,000 for paediatric cancer research and treatments.

 

 

 

Premier League highlights: Manchester Utd revival continues, City held

by: Luke Entwistle
06/09/2022

Arsenal remain top of the Premier League despite defeat to a resurgent Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, as Monaco Life takes you around the grounds.

Manchester United 3-1 Arsenal – after a disastrous start to the season, Erik Ten Hag’s men have now won four on the bounce, including against Liverpool and table-topping Arsenal. New signing Antony scored on his Manchester United debut before a Marcus Rashford brace in the second half gave Manchester United the points. They move up to fifth, whilst Arsenal remain top.

Everton 0-0 Liverpool – last season’s Premier League challengers and Champions League finalists Liverpool continue their patchy start to the season with a draw in the Merseyside derby. Both sides had their chances, but neither side managed to break the deadlock.

Aston Villa 1-1 Manchester City – after Erling Haaland gave Pep Guardiola’s side the lead in the second-half, it seemed as though the writing was on the wall. However, a late Leon Bailey strike salvaged a point for Steven Gerrard’s struggling Villa to take them out of the relegation zone, whilst denying City top spot.

Brighton and Hove Albion 5-2 Leicester City – Graham Potter’s side piled the misery on Leicester City, who remain bottom of the league with just a single point from their opening six matches. Despite arguably over-achieving with Leicester in recent seasons, Brendan Rodgers is now under huge pressure to turn things around, and quickly.

Chelsea 2-1 West Ham – Chelsea were perhaps lucky to walk away with all three points at West Ham saw a late equaliser controversially chalked off by VAR. In the end, Kai Havertz’s strike in the 88th minute was enough to give Chelsea the win, which moves them up to sixth.

Brentford 5-2 Leeds United – An impressive Ivan Toney scored a hat-trick at the Community stadium to give Brentford an ultimately comfortable win against Leeds. His recent form has led to calls for him to be called up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad ahead of this winter’s World Cup.

Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Fulham – Tottenham edged London rivals Fulham on Saturday. Harry Kane looked to have sealed the points in the second-half when he double Antonio Conte’s side’s lead, but a later Aleksandr Mitrovic goal halved the deficit, which made for a nervy finish. However, they held on and move up to third.

Nottingham Forest 2-3 Bournemouth – In a clash of the newly-promoted sides, it was surprisingly Bournemouth who came out on top at the City Ground. Having lost 9-0 to Liverpool last weekend, which subsequently saw manager Scott Parker sacked, their torrid run looked like continuing. But having gone into half-time 2-0 down, Bournemouth launched a thrilling second-half comeback, which saw them take all three points.

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 Southampton – Daniel Podence’s goal just before half-time was enough to give Bruno Lage’s side the victory at Molineux. Both sides will likely finish mid-table this season judging on current form.

Newcastle United 0-0 Crystal Palace – It ended goalless at St James’ Park. Eddie Howe’s Newcastle have enjoyed a steady start to the season, but will be looking to push on and challenge for the European places.

 

 

AS Monaco’s training centre inaugurated in star-studded celebration

by: Luke Entwistle
05/09/2022

The stars descended on AS Monaco’s sparkling new training centre in La Turbie on Monday to celebrate the official completion of a project that began back in 2018.

Prince Albert II, Charles Leclerc, Didier Deschamps and many other stars of AS Monaco’s past and present were in attendance on a landmark day for the Principality’s football club.

Upon Dmitry Rybolovlev’s arrival at the club just over 10 years ago, he had the objective of creating the optimal conditions within which players could flourish and develop; 5th September 2022 marks the date of the completion of that key task.

As performance director James Bunce rightly said during a tour of the impressive facilities, which include two gyms (one of which is fitted with an anti-gravity treadmill), saunas, sleep pods and a swimming pool, “a modern football club needs modern facilities”.

The new training centre, which according to Monaco CEO Jean-Emmanuel de Witt cost around €60m, doesn’t just allow players to train in optimal conditions, it also facilitates the realisation of the club’s philosophy.

“This facility allows us to take the next step in our development, both individually as players but also as a club. We have one of the youngest clubs in Europe and a big history of developing young players, who move on to even greater things,” said Bunce.

The AS Monaco Performance Centre Gym, photo source: AS Monaco

Manager Philippe Clement also believes that the centre can help attract the best talent to the club. “It’s important to have installations like this in order to work, but also in order for transfers. All the players who come here are impressed,” he said.

Speaking during the inauguration, Prince Albert II said that the construction of the elite facility is a “strong signal from the club”, whilst sporting director Paul Mitchell told Monaco Life that the centre is “one of the most special in the world”.

Amongst all of the stars, including Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, France manager Didier Deschamps and notable figures both past and present in Monaco’s footballing history, was a notable absence. Ekaterina Rybolovleva revealed that her father and president of AS Monaco, Dmitry Rybolovlev, couldn’t attend the event due to a “health worry”, but she relayed her father’s words.

“Monaco is a historic club, one of the most successful in French football. We have always had at our heart the idea of allowing the club to continue to develop in order to obtain the best possible results so that Monaco can continue to be not only one of the best in France, but also to shine on the European scene. Today, I expect that the team shows itself worthy of the confidence that we put in them. Monaco is a club with a rich and beautiful history that we respect and that we will continue to write together with our passion for football and with our desire to win,” she said.

As the club begins to write the next chapter in its long and illustrious history, it will do so in an optimal environment, which will give Monaco the best chance of ensuring that this next chapter is one of success.

 

Click on the gallery below to see more images of the new performance centre, photos courtesy AS Monaco…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trial commences over Nice terrorist attack

by: Stephanie Horsman
05/09/2022

Eight suspects have gone on trial in Paris, accused of playing a part in the 2016 Bastille Day killings of 86 people on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice.

For victims and their loved ones, the wounds are as raw as if the horrific attack by a radicalised Islamist on 14th July 2016 in Nice happened yesterday.

The shocking event took place on the Promenade des Anglais as tourists and locals gathered to celebrate France’s national day. A 31-year-old Tunisian man named Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel drove a truck straight into the crowd and for four minutes ploughed innocent people down indiscriminately as they struggled to get out of the way.

The driver was eventually stopped and shot dead by police but not before 84 people were killed, including 15 children, and another 450 people wounded. It was conjectured he was not working alone, and the subsequent arrests came after police investigated the driver’s circle. 

Trials for the seven men and one woman who are suspected of crimes in connection to the attack, ranging from being aware of Lahouaiej-Bouhlel’s intentions and providing logistical support to supplying weapons, began in Paris on Monday 5th September at the Palais de Justice.

A special venue has been set up in Nice so that victims of the rampage can follow the court case on a live broadcast feed. 

The trial is expected to last until mid-December.

One of the accused, Ramzi Kevin Arefa, faces life in prison, the maximum penalty, if he is convicted. The rest are looking at possible sentences of between five and 20 years. Three of the suspects are charged with association in a terrorist conspiracy and the five others with association in a criminal conspiracy and violating arms laws.

Though killer Lahouaiej-Bouhlel is not around to face his accusers, the proceedings still are a big moment for the survivors and families of the deceased who have been waiting six years for some kind of closure.

“In our jargon, we say that the victims come to ‘deposit’,” Sophie Hébert-Marchal, a lawyer from the Nice Bar who represents 80 civil parties, told Le Figaro. “This means that they will be able to leave lighter, having expressed their pain and said things that cannot be said in another context.

Though the trial may offer a relief of suffering for some, their fates will not be forgotten.

Long-time Mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi said, “This wound will never heal, whatever the outcome of the trial. This wound is too deep.”

The 14th July attack was the second most deadly post war assault in France after the 2015 Paris attacks, which saw 130 people killed.

 

 

 

Photo of the L’ange de la baie monument to the victims of the Nice terrorist attack unveiled on 14th July 2022, credit Ville de Nice. 

 

 

 

 

Monaco hits emissions target in almost all sectors, except construction

by: Stephanie Horsman
05/09/2022

A new report shows that Monaco has met its Kyoto Protocol target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30%.

The Department of the Environment has just published the 2022 National Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Report for the Principality.

Though the report is released in 2022, it is based on comparative data collected between 1990 and 2020. The data shows the levels of various substances which increase the effects of greenhouse gas retained under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

In 2020, The Principality’s emissions reached an all-time low with a massive 31.8% decrease compared to 1990. The previous year saw a decrease of 18.8%, also a good result.

The main emitting sectors, namely building energy demand, mobility and waste incineration, saw their emissions decrease by 21%, 17% and 19% respectively between 2019 and 2020. Only the construction sector increased, due to the major projects in progress and their continuation in 2020.

This National Inventory Report is being called “a pivotal step” by the government. It ends the second period of the Kyoto Protocol, under which Monaco pledged to reduce emissions by 30% in 2020. The objective was met with room to spare.

The next step will be an even greater reduction, with the goal of reducing emissions by 55% by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050.