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Month: August 2023

Grace Kelly, AS Monaco and the story of the iconic ‘Diagonale’

by: Luke Entwistle
08/08/2023
grace kelly as monaco

A new AS Monaco home jersey is released every year, and whilst the Principality club’s kit has evolved over the decades, there is one constant – ‘La Diagonale’. 

Les Rouges et Blanc have always been just that: red and white. The Principality’s football club, since its creation in November 1924, has always worn the colours of the country’s flag.

However, up until 1960, AS Monaco always wore a striped shirt. The club rose to prominence in the 1950s, gracing the French top flight for the first time in the 1953-54 season.

grace kelly as monaco
Monaco’s 1960 Coupe de France-winning squad. Photo source: AS Monaco

A historic achievement in 1960 would then change the styling of the club irreversibly. Monaco won their first Coupe de France in 1960, and to celebrate Les Monégasques’  triumph, Princess Grace Kelly, the wife of Prince Rainier III, designed the club’s jersey for the 1960/61 season.

Monaco crowned in ‘La Diagonale’

Based on the Monegasque flag, the now-famous diagonal, which extended from the right shoulder to the left hip, was incorporated into the design. This kit would soon become emblematic, not just for its uniqueness, but also because of Monaco’s exploits on the pitch that same season.

grace kelly as monaco
Grace Kelly meets Monaco’s 1963 Cup and League double-winning squad. Photo source: AS Monaco

Les Monégasques were crowned champions for the first time in 1961, and thereafter the La Diagonale was eternally adopted. Whilst the kit providers, from Le Coq Sportif to Kappa, have multiplied over the years, Grace Kelly’s influence has not waned.

The shape has instead become a central pillar of the club’s identity and a defining and unique aspect of their appearance. The La Diagonale is even trademarked, and when Stade Brestois and their kit provider Nike brought out a jersey mimicking Grace Kelly’s design in 2012, the LFP ordered the Breton club to alter their design.

grace kelly as monaco
Prince Rainier III, Princess Grace and their two oldest children, Prince Albert II and Princess Caroline, with the Monaco squad in 1963. Photo source: AS Monaco

AS Monaco puts its academy at the heart of the project, and it is therefore fitting that it is named La Diagonale.

Grace Kelly left an eternal mark on the Principality club and undoubtedly helped forge its identity.

 

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Photo source: AS Monaco 

What are your rights if an airline loses or damages your luggage?

by: Stephanie Horsman
08/08/2023
lost baggage rights

Everything you need to know about compensation rights if a bag doesn’t arrive – or turns up damaged – at a final destination.  

Almost everyone has been there. The baggage carousel at the airport has stopped and no more bags are coming out so where’s yours? Or what if the awaited bag finally comes and it is battered beyond recognition, with articles of clothing seeping out of the sides, having been hastily shoved back in through a broken zip by a well-meaning baggage handler.  

Lost, misplaced or damaged luggage after a flight is an inconvenience at best and a holiday-wrecker at worst, but passengers do have rights. Here are the protocols for each scenario according to the French rules.

DELAYED 

A delayed bag is defined as one not present when a passenger disembarks, but is delivered later on another flight. In these cases, the airline knows where the bag is and simply needs to manage the logistics of getting it to the traveller.  

The first thing to do is go immediately to the airline’s help desk and alert them. They will then start the search for the missing pieces.  

If the passenger needs to purchase basic items before the arrival of the bag, such as underwear, toothbrushes and other hygiene products, the airline company can be asked to reimburse the costs.  

Passengers have 21 days from the day the luggage is returned to file a written claim and present the receipts for costs incurred. After the 21-day mark, passengers lose the right to claim back.  

LOST 

Once it has been established the luggage isn’t just misplaced, but actually lost, airlines can be asked to offer monetary compensation. The timeline to consider a bag lost is 21 days after the date it should have arrived, and the maximum compensation a person can ask for is €1,600.  

The payback amounts are rather arbitrary as airlines “do not reimburse lost personal effects on the basis of their new value, but often apply a discount”.  

Again, a written request must be made along with a list of the items lost and purchase invoices for the items. As many people don’t have the receipts for older pieces of clothing or general toiletries, they may offer compensation based on the weight of the lost piece, which is on average €20 per kilo.  

It does get tricky though as two international statutes apply. The Warsaw Convention, which deals with European Union airlines, and the Montreal Convention, which applies regardless of the company’s nationality. Passengers can establish the relevant statutes via their airline ticket.  

DAMAGED 

In the instance that a bag is destroyed or damaged, travellers can ask for reimbursement of the price of the case as well as damaged contents. This must be done in writing within seven days under the Montreal Convention and three under the Warsaw Convention, and compensation will depend on which convention the passenger’s airline falls under.  

The letter must provide as much information as possible, including photos of the damaged items and purchase receipts.  

IF AIRLINES DON’T COMPLY 

If the airline refuses to reimburse, the first step for the passenger is to file an online complaint with the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC) or contact the Travel and Tourism Mediator (MTV) to find a solution.  

If this doesn’t result in a satisfactory ending, passengers have two years to bring a lawsuit to court.  

For more information, please click here.

 

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Photo source: Ante Hamersmit, Unsplash  

ASM transfer round-up: Balogun, Zakaria, Adarabioyo and Fofana

by: Luke Entwistle
08/08/2023
Youssouf Fofana in training at AS Monaco's Performance Centre in La Turbie

With the season fast approaching, AS Monaco are honing in on multiple targets, and have recently seen a bid for Folarin Balogun rejected by Arsenal.

The €45m received through the sale of Axel Disasi to Chelsea has provided a significant financial boost, and Monaco now look to reinvest that sum with the Principality club hoping to add significant reinforcements ahead of the season.

Folarin Balogun – linked by The Athletic to Monaco

Balogun blossomed on loan at Reims last season, but has since returned to parent club Arsenal. However, the USMNT striker’s future may not lie at the Emirates Stadium. Monaco faced the Gunners in a pre-season friendly last week, and Monaco used the match as an opportunity to discuss a transfer for Balogun. Since Breel Embolo’s ACL injury, which was confirmed on Monday, Monaco submitted a formal offer to Arsenal, but was rejected.

However, Monaco are very keen on bringing Balogun to the Stade Louis II and the Principality club are therefore set to continue their pursuit. Another “big” offer will soon be submitted, according to renowned Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Tosin Adarabioyo – linked by L’Équipe and Foot Mercato to Monaco

Even without the departure of Disasi, AS Monaco were looking to strengthen their defence. The arrival of Mohammed Salisu has already been confirmed, but another recruit is expected. The Principality club have a long-standing interest in Fulham’s English centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo and have recently made concrete steps towards signing the player. According to L’Équipe, an agreement between Monaco and Adarabioyo has already been found. Foot Mercato have added that the player is insisting on a move to Monaco, and has even rejected advances from Tottenham Hotspur. An agreement must now be found with Fulham for the player’s transfer.

Denis Zakaria – linked by Fabrizio Romano to Monaco

Juventus’ Deniz Zakaria looks to be nearing a move to Monaco. Romano is reporting that the Principality club are looking to wrap up the deal by the end of the week, and there is a slim chance that the Swiss international could even be included in Monaco’s matchday squad to face Clermont Foot on Sunday. Zakaria spent last season on loan at Chelsea and would strengthen a midfield that may yet see further departures.

Deivid Washington – linked by Foot Mercato to Monaco

The transfer of Deivid Washington was discussed when Monaco sold Jean Lucas to Santos earlier this summer. However, Chelsea, with their almost incomparable financial clout, have sought to beat the Principality club to the signing of the promising forward. According to Fabrizio Romano, Washington’s move to Chelsea is close, however, Monaco are looking to hijack the deal. The 18-year-old Brazilian would prefer a move to Monaco, according to Foot Mercato, and new sporting director Thiago Scuro has flown out to Brazil to continue talks. The conclusion of this transfer saga looks set to conclude soon, although Washington’s final destination is still seemingly in the balance.

Youssouf Fofana – linked by Sky Sports to West Ham

Monaco’s focus is firmly on incomings, but there could yet be further departures. Ismail Jakobs has been linked with a move to Nottingham Forest in recent days, but by far the most lucrative departure would be Youssouf Fofana. The France international would garner a high fee, and according to Sky Sports, the former Strasbourg midfielder is attracting Premier League interest. West Ham have been looking to strengthen their midfield and the Hammers look set to miss out on Zakaria. Fofana is another target, however, with the Premier League club simultaneously looking at other options, it is unclear whether West Ham will make concrete advances on the midfielder. Other “big European clubs” are also interested in Fofana this summer and the Frenchman will be allowed to leave for the right fee.

 

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Photo by Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life

Look out for fraudulent emails sent in the name of the Carabiniers du Prince

by: Stephanie Horsman
08/08/2023
monaco phishing

A fraudulent phishing email is currently in circulation, purporting to be from the Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince. Here’s how to protect yourself.  

In recent days, an email claiming to be from the Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince has been landing in inboxes linked to the Principality of Monaco. It has been sent indiscriminately to various email addresses, with some getting through the anti-spam filters of email providers.  

This is a “phishing” scam campaign intending to defraud prospective victims who inadvertently respond to the message.  

WHAT IT SAYS 

The email is poorly written and should be the first clue that it is not legitimate. It tells the recipient they are implicated in a crime and ask that they open a PDF file as well as to respond directly to the email.  

The text refers to alleged “criminal proceedings for acts of a sexual nature” brought against the receiver of the message.  

WHAT TO DO 

Firstly, do not reply in any way and do not open the PDF. Immediately forward the message to cyber@gouv.mc and block the sender from your account. Then delete the message.  

The government has responded to the scam by reminding the public that the Carabinieri never send such messages, and that the only email address legitimate summons would come from would stem from an email address from xxx@gouv.mc. 

The sender’s email address can be verified by touching the sender field on a smartphone or by right-clicking with the mouse on a computer. The fraudsters are clever and many use an address similar to the real one, so look for discrepancies such as an added letter or an inappropriately placed dot or character if you receive such a message.  

 

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Photo by Monaco Life

The fascinating story of Prince Albert I’s floating time capsules 

by: Elsa Carpenter
08/08/2023
time capsule prince albert

Did you know that in the 1800s, Prince Albert I of Monaco, the “Explorer Prince”, released almost 1,700 floating time capsules into the sea?  

During his time on sea voyages in 1885, 1886 and 1887, Monaco’s Prince Albert I (1848-1922) launched close to 1,700 floating time capsules into the water. Around 15% of these objects, which took the form of a pear in glass and covered in copper, not unlike a buoy, would eventually make their way back to the Principality from such far-flung places as the Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean, Norway and the Atlantic coasts of Brittany, Spain and Portugal.  

Inside and safely encased in the fascinating capsules was a message from the Prince himself, a man who dedicated much of his life to the sea, oceanography and science, that asked the person who had come across one of these “flotteurs” to send the information of where and when it had been found to the Monegasque authorities.

Today, the story of the capsules that were located is retold at Monaco’s famous Oceanographic Museum, which was opened by the Prince in 1910, just a few years after the establishment of his Institute of Oceanography in 1906. Their wondrous tale forms part of the permanent exhibition on the “Prince of the Seas”, which includes a 27-metre-long replica of the ship Prince Albert I embarked on for one of his many voyages of discovery. 

There’s also a comic book available to buy at the museum shop called “Albert I er de Monaco, Le Prince Explorateur”, which was published by Éditions Glénat, that features scenes involving these historic time capsules.  

 

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Photo credit: Éditions Glénat BD

Save the date: AMLA Gala 2023

by: Cassandra Tanti
08/08/2023

Latin American association AMLA is teaming up with the Hellenic Community of Monaco for this year’s gala, which will take place at One Monte-Carlo under the theme ‘A Story of Panama’.

On 8th December, in the presence of iconic Panamanian and Greek personalities, guests will gather in the Salle des Artistes for a journey from Monaco to Greece and later into Panama thanks to a feast of music, fashion shows, the flavours of Panamanian gastronomy and “inspirational stories of faith, passion, discipline, talent, and generosity by awardees”.

For the first time, AMLA and the Hellenic Community of Monaco have joined forced for an evening that “celebrates Panama’s historical role in connecting oceans and the Greek cultural and academia influence in ancient civilizations to modern times”.

AMLA is endorsed by local embassies and has as its patron Prince Albert II of Monaco. Guests are invited to come together to “experience a complete taste of a country’s cultural richness and people, in the most magical venue”.

Spaces are limited. To secure your ticket, visit info@amlamonaco.com.

Photo credit: Niels van Altena, Unsplash

 

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