Monaco is set to host the European Poker Tour at Le Sporting, promising one of the continent’s most exclusive poker experiences of the year. Here’s how you can get involved.
Poker’s popularity has been skyrocketing, with the number of players growing every year. New markets are opening to tournaments and since the end of Covid restrictions, in-person events have returned with a vengeance.
In keeping with the trend, Monaco is hosting the European Poker Tour, part of a global tour run by PokerStars and held in the Principality in conjunction with the Casino de Monte-Carlo.
Taking place from 26th April to 6th May, top players will meet at Le Sporting from 7pm to 6am playing variations such as Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha and Chinese Poker, to name a few.
But the action isn’t limited to the pros. Anyone over 18 years of age with a valid government-issued passport or ID can participate. Buy-ins start at €500 and go all the way up to the super high roller events, where participants splash out €100,000 to take part.
Do you have an event in Monaco or the French Riviera that you would like us to include in our What’s On section and events calendar? Please email editor@monacolife.net.
Interview with Eliot Matazo: “I’m trying to be more visible on the pitch”
Breaking into an AS Monaco midfield that over the years has consisted of players such as Cesc Fabregas, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Youssouf Fofana and Mohamed Camara, is no easy task, but it’s the one that Eliot Matazo is facing and is relishing.
“I have my own style,” Matazo told Monaco Life. “I’ve been told I have a style similar to Aurélien, others say Youssouf, some people reference other players as well.” Far from trying to disassociate himself from the likes of Fabregas, and Tchouaméni, as well as current teammates Camara and Fofana, Matazo is wanting to create his own story and procure his own image.
“There are different characteristics in all of these players and for sure, watching them every day in training and at the matches, I can only learn. Those will be things that I’ll take with me going forward,” said Matazo.
“Seeing such a player in my position only inspires me”
It hasn’t been easy for the Belgian U21 international, who since making his debut against Strasbourg back in 2020, has had to contend with fierce competition in the Monaco midfield. Tchouaméni’s €100m departure to Real Madrid looked to be an opening for Matazo, but the arrival of Camara from Red Bull Salzburg represented a new challenge for the Belgian, but crucially, not a threat.
“At a team like Monaco, you need competitive players in every position. That’s how it is with all of the other positions, and that’s how it is with Camara, who came to strengthen the team, which he has done. I see it as a positive. It brings competition, and for me, as a young player, seeing such a player in my position only inspires me to take things from his game and reproduce that on the pitch. That allows us to challenge each other to give the best of ourselves every time we’re on the pitch,” said Matazo.
The La Diagonale Academy product doesn’t have to look far for inspiration. Tchouaméni’s trajectory is one that he will try to emulate in his own way. “Seeing a defensive midfielder have such a rapid rise can only be inspiring for me. I’m also inspired by the fact that I played alongside him. It shows anything is possible, but it only happens through hard work. Aurélien is a hard worker and what happened to him was the outcome of all of his work,” said the Belgian U21 international.
“I am lucky to have such baggage at a club like AS Monaco”
In many ways, Tchouaméni is the exception to the rule. Whereas wingers burst onto the scene early, often imbued with eye-catching technical ability, the role of the defensive midfielder requires different characteristics that are only borne out of experience, which he is gradually accruing at Monaco.
“It is different to break through [as a midfielder rather than an attacker]. It’s really about concentration and experience and that’s something that is learnt. To be consistent, we’re speaking about maturity to be able to recognise certain situations. It is rare to have as much experience as I have as a defensive midfielder at my age. I am lucky to have such baggage at a club like AS Monaco so I make the most of it,” said Matazo.
Photo by Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life
That “baggage” is increasing, although Matazo admitted disappointment at his lack of gametime earlier in the season, adding “I’m a competitor and I always want to help the team. When you don’t have the gametime to do that, it’s a bit disappointing. But I’m well aware that I’m still young and I’m in a competitive team with two or three very good players in my position. So I need to grind and bear it, continue to work hard and be ready when the coach calls on me.”
Since the return from the World Cup, which Matazo has described as “the best phase” of his season, he has seen his playing time increase, and he has started in three of the club’s last six Ligue 1 matches. He is on course to break his record for most minutes featured in a season. A natural progression for a player on the rise.
“In the season, I needed a reference match”
Perhaps the facilitator of Matazo’s increased presence in the Monaco team in this second half of the season was his performance against Marseille in January.
“In the season, I needed a reference match. I think I can lean on that match against Marseille in my matches against all future opponents. For sure, the match against Marseille gave me a boost,” said Matazo.
However, the former Anderlecht youth player is wanting to build on that performance and has isolated his attacking output as an area of improvement. “I have technical baggage that allows me to go forward so what I’m trying to do more in matches is to go forward and be more visible on the pitch,” he said.
“It’s up to me to show certain things”
By being more “visible,” Matazo will hope to contribute to the Principality club’s objectives between now and the end of the season. Les Monégasuqes are three points behind second-placed RC Lens. “We have nine finals left, nine matches to win. It’s as simple as that…We’re the hunters so it’s up to us to chase the teams in front of us,” he said.
Photo by Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life
However, on a personal level, there is also a lot to play for. L’Équipe reported last week that Fofana may leave Monaco in the summer, which could potentially provide an opening for Matazo, who will be looking to nail down a place in the starting XI.
“I don’t know what Fofana’s future holds. As a Monaco player, I want him to stay as that would be good for the team. There are lots of games remaining in the second half of this season, so it’s up to me to show certain things. In any case, I am ready to show these things and we’ll see what the future holds,” said Matazo.
On Domenico Tedesco’s radar
Matazo’s performances, he hopes, could also allow him to break into the Belgium national team. He has been an important player for the U21 side, but an increased presence in the first team has already put him on the radar of new coach Domenico Tedesco.
“I think that these things come naturally. If you’re doing well with your club, if you put in good performances, you’ll get the call. When the moment comes, I will be ready because I know that I will have done the work to get there, with the U21s and also with Monaco. Domenico Tedesco has just arrived, and I know he has an eye on me. I got a provisional call-up, so that shows I’m there or thereabouts. It’s up to me to ensure that I give the best of myself so that he can look at me even more,” said Matazo.
Being “more visible” is clearly the key for Matazo, who is looking to shine for club and country. Having signed a contract extension until 2026 last season, the Belgian clearly believes that Monaco remains the best place to showcase his talents.
“I trust in the Monégasque project, and I’m completely invested in it,” said Matazo, who will hope that his compatriot, Philippe Clement, and the club place more trust in him this season, and beyond.
A European Citizen’s Initiative has collected a million signatures, triggering the European Commission to take further action toward saving bee and butterfly populations, which are crucial for food security and environmental health.
Everyone knows that bees and their pollinating kin: butterflies, moths, bats and hoverflies, are the Earth’s great pollinators. They visit flowers and drink the nectar or feed off pollen and transport pollen grains as they move from spot to spot, helping plants reproduce. This vital act means that, in real life terms, they are responsible for one in every three bites of food we eat.
In recent decades, however, wild-insect pollinators have been dramatically dropping in number and diversity in Europe. An estimated one in 10 species are threatened or on the verge of extinction, and one in three is in decline.
CITIZENS SPEAK AND EC REACTS
In response, a European Citizen’s Initiative (ECI) plan, called ‘Save the Bees and Farmers! Towards a bee-friendly agriculture and a healthy environment’, has been developed and the buzz it created has spurred the European Commission (EC) to react.
With half the EU’s agricultural land already at risk of having pollen deficits, the call to arms couldn’t have come at a better time, and the show of public support has prompted the EC “to find swift and ambitious agreements on the already submitted legislative proposals, that will help protect and restore European pollinators and translate the citizens’ ambition into law,” according to a statement by the EC.
ALREADY IN THE WORKS
A few plans are already underway, such as one that will reduce chemical pesticide use in the EU by half by 2030 as well as targeted habitat and restoration projects to make the EU pollinator-friendly by 2050.
The ECI is also calling for improved biodiversity in agriculture as well as giving farmers the support they need to transition to sustainable farming.
Rather than bogging down the process by proposing new laws, the EC is working with the groups of co-legislators to swiftly adopt and implement plans, such as those mentioned above, to start rectifying the situation.
To clarify, an ECI allows a petition from at least a million citizens from no less than seven bloc countries to ask the EC to propose legal action. It allows for more grassroots participation by the people, giving them a say in EU policies. Save the Bees and Farmers! Is the seventh ECI the Commission has responded to.
The TotalEnergies group has announced that from Friday 7th April, they will temporarily extend the €1.99 price freeze to SP 98 and their premium Excellium line.
A price cap of €1.99 per litre of petrol set up by French energy giant TotalEnergies since 1st March, is being prolonged, albeit only for the time being.
The extension goes into effect on Friday 7th April and, says the company, will continue “until the stations no longer experience supply difficulties” for their premium Excellium brand, though for regular diesel and SP95, the cap remains until the end of 2023.
Total runs roughly one-third of France’s 10,000 petrol stations, so this gesture is huge for motorists, many of whom are feeling the effects of pension reform protest-induced petrol shortages. Until now, the company had excluded their higher-end ranges from the freeze, but have now included them for the short term.
“Some stations are out of one or more products. This expansion will allow our customers to benefit from the measure regardless of the product,” a source inside the group told AFP.
As of Wednesday 5th April, nearly 7% of France’s petrol stations were experiencing shortages of at least one type of fuel, according to data from the government website for gas prices.
The Grimaldi Family has a new addition, a baby girl, born to Louis Ducruet, Princess Stephanie’s oldest son, and his wife Marie. Prince Albert II shared the happy news on Tuesday night.
Prince Albert II made the happy announcement at the Rainier III Auditorium on Tuesday 4th April, where he was handing out diplomas to Monaco Red Cross rescue workers.
“My nephew Louis Ducruet and his wife Marie have the joy of being parents of a little girl,” said a delighted Prince Albert II.
Camille Gottlieb, Louis’ younger sister who was on stage with the Prince as he shared the news with the crowd, reportedly smiled from ear-to-ear at becoming an aunt.
The name of the baby, who was expected in mid-April and made her appearance a bit early, is yet to be revealed.
It is the first child for the couple, who have been married since July 2019, and the first grandchild for Princess Stephanie.
Fatherhood is something Louis Ducruet has long hoped for. The 30-year-old told Gala magazine in December 2022, “I’ve been waiting for it for a very, very long time, it’s true. In fact, I’ve wanted to be a dad since I was 26.”
He even speculated that the baby would be born in the same room that he himself was, saying, “A room is reserved for the Princely family when there is a birth. Normally, it should be the same.”
The fight against single-use plastic in Monaco continues, with two new ‘MaConsigne’ terminals available for the reusable fast food container service.
Since 2019, ‘Ma Consigne’ has given consumers in Monaco the opportunity to reduce the amount of disposable packaging accompanying their food purchases.
By downloading an app, they can can select the option of having their food packaged in reusable glass containers when placing a food order. They then have 14 days to return the container to one of the terminals dotted throughout the Principality.
In an effort boost their support of this government-led initiative, the City of Monaco is hosting the installation of further ‘MaConsigne’ fast food recycling drops offs on its sites.
A new terminal has been installed at Espace Saint-Charles, and another at the Condamine Market.
To mark the occassion, Mayor Georges Marsan and Marjorie Crovetto, in charge of the Environment and Sustainable Development department of the Mairie, joined representatives of the Mission for Energy Transition (MTE) and Lemniscate, creator of the terminal, as well as three restaurant owners from the Halle du Marché de la Condamine who are offering the service: MC by Kodera, la Maison des Pâtes and Maison Mer.
“The Town Hall confirms its ‘green’ commitment alongside the Prince’s Government by also encouraging the population to act,” said the Mairie in a press statement. “By making these two new MaConsigne terminals available to regulars at the Principality’s markets, the Municipal Institution hopes to participate in the collective effort to reduce plastic waste.”
To sign up for the service, simply download the MaConsigne app on iPhone and Android.
