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Day: 18 October 2022

AS Monaco goes stateside with New York fan group

by: Luke Entwistle
18/10/2022

The creation of the latest AS Monaco fan group in New York pushes the boundaries of the club’s slogan, ‘Everywhere, Always’. Monaco Life spoke with its founder, Damien Malatino, to learn more. 

Damien Malatino may no longer be living in the Principality, but he isn’t forgetting his Monégasuqe roots – quite the opposite. Now living in New York, where he works as a project manager, Malatino is the founder of the AS Monaco Fans NYC, the Principality’s latest antenne. 

Partout, Toujours

Of the 16 fan groups officially registered by the AS Monaco Supporters’ Club, the New York City group is the second most distant from the Principality, after ‘Dom Tom,’ based in Martinique. They are also only the second group outside of France, the other being Liguria Biancorossa, based in Ventimiglia.

Following a meeting with the Supporters’ Club in the Principality during a trip back to the Principality in August, ASM NYC officially became a group in September. The officialisation was announced by the club itself on all its media channels, which according to Malatino, “really helped for visibility.”

“Since the article, we’ve had people contacting us directly saying that they’d seen the article, and asking how they can meet up. Since then, we’ve recruited members and now we can’t wait for the next event,” added Malatino. 

The aim of the group is to allow Monaco fans to meet up and share their passion for the Principality club. Prior to the creation of ASM NYC, Malatino frequented the famous ‘Football Factory’ bar located in Manhattan to watch his childhood club in action. Seeing fans of other Ligue 1 gather there to watch the matches, inspired him.

Photo by Damien Malatino

“At the start, I watched matches on my own at a bar where they show all the matches, called The Football Factory. It is well known in New York amongst football fans. There might not be many from Monaco, but there is also a French community and there are fan clubs of other Ligue 1 clubs that I have seen when going to watch Monaco matches. I saw a couple of Monaco-PSG matches for example and I saw that there was a group of Parisian supporters with scarves. I told myself, ‘why not create something to bring together people like me, who are supporters of AS Monaco?” he said. 

The recruited becomes the recruiter

The idea is not only to facilitate gatherings but also to recruit fans on American soil. “We can meet up to watch the matches and eventually recruit members that like football, but don’t necessarily have a favourite European team. So creating fans and finding sympathisers, that’s how it’s done, and also by bringing together ex-pats,” Malatino told Monaco Life. 

Malatino himself was drawn into the game by his father from an early age. Growing up not far from the famous arches of the Stade Louis II in La Condamine, his passion was imparted by his match-going father, whose support for the club pre-dates the creation of the new Louis II.

“The passion came from my family and especially from my dad. He has been a season ticket holder at the Louis II before the new stadium had opened. He is a huge fan of the club, so even when I was young, I remember him taking me to the matches. We watched the matches on the TV as well. My dad did all of the away trips. He took me to watch a few matches when the season ticket holders could bring guests and it was there that my passion started to grow. I went to see matches in Ligue 1. I also watched them play in Ligue 2, where there were some good moments,” he said. 

Maintaining a direct link to the Principality

From the 8-3 Champions League victory against Deportivo de la Coruña, Malatino’s first footballing memory, to relegation to Ligue 2, the Monégasque has truly experienced the highs and lows of being a football fan. Having watched Radamel Falcao (his favorite Monaco player alongside Fernando Morientes) in the flesh, the two-time season ticket holder he is now getting used to following his side from distance.

“Thanks to the antenne I maintain a direct link to Monaco. The fact of just being able to share my passion, go to watch the matches, and meet up is something that allows me to keep a link to Monaco. Everyone keeps a bit of a link to their country of origin. We are all there to maintain a link to our country, through football,” he said. 

But following European football from the United States is no easy task. The time difference makes watching some games, especially the Europa League ties, which take place mid-afternoon on Thursdays, near-on impossible. Regardless, the goal is to gather twice a month, the next one being this Sunday for the match against Lille.

Malatino admits that the antenne will take years to blossom, he is hoping to slowly build the fanbase in ‘The Big Apple,’ picking up supporters throughout the season as Philippe Clement’s men hunt after another podium finish in Ligue 1.

Photo by Damien Malatino

“We are really making up for our difficult start to the season, which was due to the calendar. Clement has done good work and we are getting back to where we should be in the standings,” said Malatino on Monaco’s start to the season.  “I am very confident that we’ll reach the podium by the end of the season, and I’m hoping that we qualify directly for the Champions League,” he continued. 

Whatever the outcome of the current campaign, Clement’s men can count on the support of its newest fan group in New York City, where a Munegu scarf hangs on the wall of the Football Factory symbolising not only the ubiquity of the club but its importance, both at home and abroad.

 

Photos by AS Monaco

 

 

 

Yacht broker Splinter Fangman: “Sailing is sexy again”

by: Claire Griffiths
18/10/2022

A dedicated sail yacht area was an initiative that began in 2021 at the Monaco Yacht Show. Last year, eight sail yachts exhibited. This year, the figure more or less doubled, a signal that the sustainability song sheet has wafted in and around the superyacht society and its message is sinking in. A bit.

A taste for skimming the sea’s surface in sublime and simple silence is on the up, suggests sales and charter broker Splinter Fangman, of broker firm Edmiston, based in Monaco.

He explains, “Generally speaking there is more interest in sailing yachts than previously. That’s either from people who are interested in it for the sportive element, with being more integrated with the operation of the boat, with nature, with the sea.”

Or, he suggests, there are those who are interested in the PR effect of owning a sail yacht. “They  are people who are very aware of the message they are sending. Say, for example, you are anchored off St. Tropez, and people know that’s your yacht, what’s the message? If you are on a sailing yacht you are sending a more environmentally friendly message. So, we are seeing more clients who are aware of that and aware of the climatic importance.”

He adds, “We have some clients at the moment who have a foundation focused on the environment but they also want a yacht. So, they feel that the best way forward is to have a sailing yacht and have the right messaging.”

Edmiston Yacht Broker Splinter Fangman, photo supplied

Sales of super yachts powered by the wind at Edmiston have risen during each consecutive year since Covid and now make up 12%. The company has a particular flair for sales of the Italian luxury yacht builder Perini Navi boats, with the likes of S/Y Zenji, S/Y Melek, and S/Y Rosehearty passing through its books in 2021.

Edmiston presented 11 yachts at the Monaco Yacht Show (MYS) this year, three of which were sail yachts. They were S/Y Silencio, a 49.8m Perini Navi, the 56.4m S/Y Salvaje (built 2014, refit 2019) from Alloy Yachts, and 53.9m S/Y Pink Gin VI (2017, refit 2022) built by Baltic Yachts.

S/Y Silencio is priced at €14,500,00, the other two are each priced at €29,500,000. All are sumptuously luxurious and really rather different.

Master cabin of Salvaje, photo courtesy Edmiston

The original owners of two-masted ketch S/Y Salvaje didn’t ‘do’ corners, and below deck the walls ripple curvaceously in an interior that blends classic sailing styles with painterly blotches of the brightest colours. Built for extended world sailing, she can accommodate up to 11 guests across five cabins all with marble ensuite. She has a range of 6,500nm at 10 knots.

S/Y Pink Gin VI is a sloop and so has only a single mast. Explains Fangman, “For this length of yacht, the typical format is a ketch, like S/Y Salvaje, but the owner of Pink Gin just wanted a cleaner look.” SY Pink Gin VI is, says Fangman, spectacular for a number of reasons. She is the largest carbon fibre sailing sloop in the world, so she’s super light and super fast. And the carbon hull is also extremely tough. “No expense was spared on this entirely custom-built boat,” says Fangman.

Pink Gin VI, photo by Stuart Pearce www.yacht-shot.com

Her interiors are a mix of fun and formal with blue painted wooden floorboards hosting plush velvet sofas, and a pink baby grand piano.

Says Fangman, who is Dutch but grew up at international schools across the world, “The Pink Gin interior is quite special actually. I recently received a charter enquiry from someone who was on the boat but she is not for charter. To me at least she is very much like a New York apartment. She’s not very nautical, which sets her apart from a lot of other yachts. So, for this charter client I really wanted to suggest they rent a New York apartment instead. Especially the bathroom with the tiles in the master cabin. It’s a very old school New York style.”

S/Y Silencio, built in steel and aluminium by Italian yard Perini Navi, was delivered in 2001 as the third yacht in the yard’s 50 metres series. She sleeps 12 guests in five cabins and is finely appointed with sleek, cherry wood interiors designed by Christian Liaigre. More outdoor spaces and al fresco dining spots were added during a refit in 2012. She won both the 2013 Perini Cup and the 2015 Millennium Cup.

Silencio deck, photo courtesy Edmiston

Fangman believes there are multiple factors influencing the increased interest in sail. One of them is competitive sailing, “such as the America’s Cup”, he suggests, “which is extremely exciting, high speed, and very captivating for traditional but also new audiences. I think that has re-ignited and re-excited people about sailing; just knowing you can go 70 or 90km/h on pure sail power. I think sailing is sexy again.”

Jeff Bezos will soon rank number one as the world’s sexiest sailor when he takes delivery of his 127m sail yacht later this year. The three-masted schooner Y721, built by Oceanco, will be the largest sail yacht in the world.

Other important influencers include tennis champion Rafael Nadal and former Formula One racing driver Nico Rosberg, who both own yachts built by eco-focused yacht builders Sunreef, explains Fangman. “These public figures decided to go yachting and realised they can do it in a sustainably correct way and that rubs off on other people. It’s a bit like owning a classic car where you are really involved in its being and that’s a very different experience from a motor yacht. You’re involved in how much energy it is using, how much energy it needs: When the sails are up, engines are off, and all you have is natural energy and silence, it is quite spectacular and very majestic.”

 

Photo above: Jeff Brown design, courtesy Edmiston

 

 

 

 

 

MEB forging ties with Spain and Austria

by: Stephanie Horsman
18/10/2022

The Monaco Economic Board, always keen to promote business in the Principality, has stepped up their game this month, meeting with delegates from Austria at home and on the ground in Spain.

What do Austrian businesspeople from Carinthia and members of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations have in common? They both met with the Monaco Economic Board (MEB) this month.

On 7th October, the MEB welcomed 20 entrepreneurs from the Austrian area of Carinthia for a programme that included visits, conferences and a networking event.

Monaco and Carinthia share many common traits in that the Austrian region is made up of small and medium-sized businesses, generally family-run, centred on niche markets with high added value, similar to Monaco. The guests were primarily from the energy, new technologies or construction sectors, which dovetail perfectly with Monegasque interests.

In addition to meetings, Christian Miller, Director of Advantage Austria Paris and Commercial Advisor to the Austrian Embassy in France and Monaco presented the Energy Globe Award, a prize awarded by Advantage Austria which recognises innovative and sustainable projects in more than 180 countries.

For the 2021 Monegasque version, it was given to Stars’N’Bars restaurant, represented by its manager Didier Rubiolo who reminded those present of the involvement of the late Kate Powers in the establishment’s approach.

This visit was followed up on 13th to 15th October with MEB delegates visiting the Spanish capital, Madrid, where speakers from the Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations (CEOE) spoke of the many business opportunities in the city and revealed that Madrid boasts the largest GDP and GDP per capita in the country and that in 2021 it attracted 72% of foreign investment in Spain.

The trip followed closely behind Prince Albert II’s State visit to Spain, where he marked the 100th anniversary of the passing of his great-grandfather and namesake, Prince Albert I.

The successful visit has now prompted the MEB to start planning the possibility of a reciprocal trip for Spanish representatives in 2023.

 

SEE ALSO:

Photos: Prince Albert retraces footsteps of great, great grandfather in Portugal and Spain

 

 

 

Photo above: MEB/Carte Blanche

 

 

 

 

1,000 opportunities for Monaco jobseekers

by: Elsa Carpenter
18/10/2022

An incredible 1,000 positions await job seekers from the Principality of Monaco and beyond this Tuesday 18th and Wednesday 19th October.

Between the hours of 2pm and 7pm, managers from across the Société des Bains de Mer hospitality portfolio will be manning stands at the One Monte-Carlo conference centre in a bid to fill the impressive number of posts available in its hotels and restaurants in 2023.

Kitchen and serving staff, receptionists, porters and luggage handlers, household and maintenance crew: the job fair offers a raft of opportunities for both young jobseekers and more experienced workers hoping to transition to a role in Monaco’s luxury sector.

 

 

Photo above by Monaco Life

 

 

 

 

Monaco On Stage: 100 years of musical excellence

by: Elsa Carpenter
18/10/2022

From the timeless Joséphine Baker and Charles Aznavour to modern day icons Prince and Lady Gaga, the concert halls of Monaco have, over the last 100 years, welcomed many of the world’s finest musical acts to its stages. In a new exhibition, Monaco On Stage: 100 Years of Concerts in Monaco, the Principality honours a century of these artists, who have performed in its prestigious venues such as the Salle des Etoiles and the Opéra Garnier. 

The exhibition is being supported by Société des Bains de Mer and the Direction des Affaires Culturelles de Monaco with Composer and ProducerAlex Jaffray and Scenographer Rudy Sabounghi curating a ‘backstage’ experience for visitors.  

Step behind the velvet curtains of the stage and discover the behind-the-scenes workings of these great concerts and listen to moving extracts from the performances themselves, including The Beatles, the Police and Supertramp. 

Hosting this special exhibit is the Salle d’Exposition on Quai Antoine Ier. The exhibition is free to all and can be visited Tuesday through to Sunday from 1pm to 7pm until 31st December 2022 (exceptional closures on 19th November and 25th December).  

More information: www.gouv.mc.  

 

 

Photo credit: Stéphane Danna, Government Communication Department

 

 

 

Whistleblower saga at an end

by: Stephanie Horsman
18/10/2022

Back in 2012, Jonathan Taylor was working for the Monaco-based branch of the Dutch oil firm SBM Offshore when he struck upon – and exposed – cases of bribery in the company.

Taylor came forward with “evidence about bribes being offered to government officials in return for lucrative contracts”, according to a report published by the BBC at the time.

Since then, the British national has had his life turned upside down. After coming forward with his information, the tide turned on Taylor as claims surfaced that he had accepted money to remain quiet about the findings he had previously gone public with. He spent nearly a year under house arrest in Croatia between July 2020 and May 2021 after a Monaco-issued Interpol red license was enacted while he was holidaying with family in the country.

Monegasque authorities had Taylor, a lawyer himself, detained with the expectation he would be extradited to the Principality of Monaco so that they could question him in relation to the ‘hush money’ accusations.

He was never formally charged with any wrongdoing and the extradition was overturned by Croatian authorities last year, allowing Taylor to return home to the UK.

A return to Monaco

However, in October 2021, Taylor received a summons from the authorities in Monaco to appear before Judge Ludovic Leclerc. Taylor agreed to the questioning in an effort to “bring this nonsense to an end”, as he put it to the BBC. In March 2022, Leclerc dismissed the case.

This would have been the end of the tale had the Monegasque public prosecutor not appealed the judge’s ruling, keeping Taylor on tenterhooks until this month, when the Monaco Court of Appeals rejected the appeal once and for all.

“Finally, this hell is over for me,” Taylor told the BBC. “Whilst this welcome news will not bring me back my career or the year I lost under house arrest in Croatia, it does give me back control of my life.”