Day: 23 October 2023

After a promising start to the weekend for Monegasque sport, it closed on a bitter note, with Monaco export and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc being disqualified from the Austin Grand Prix.

AS MONACO FOOTBALL 

AS Monaco secured a 2-1 win over Metz at the Stade Louis II on Sunday, which puts the Rouge et Blancs firmly back in first place in the Ligue 1 standings; a status they take away from local rivals Nice.   

The day belonged to Aleksandr Golovin, who scored both of Monaco’s goals. The first was a top corner stunner at 42 minutes in and the second was off a free kick after 55 minutes. Metz’s only point came four minutes into the game by the talented Mohamed Camara, who scored from an astounding 50 metres away.  

Philipp Köhn’s cool head and fast reflexes prevented any other ball crossing the line, despite several attempts, including a brilliant diving save on a strike from Metz’s Benjamin Tetteh and a deflect from a drive by Kevin Van Den Kerkhof.  

“Metz are a good team, which plays very well in transition and with the ball,” said Coach Adi Hütter before the game. “The coach, Laszlo Bölöni, is also experienced. But we are favourites and we have to show it during this match. We will have a very good team on the pitch and we want to win, but we respect this team a lot.” 

AS MONACO BASKETBALL 

After a strong showing against Alba Berlin last Friday, the Roca Team continued their winning streak with a 83-67 victory against SIG Strasbourg in the Betclic Elite on Sunday.  

The match wasn’t entirely smooth sailing, as Saša Obradović’s men struggled in the second quarter, before picking up steam in the second half at the away fixture.

Terry Tarpey had a stellar game, scoring 20 points for his side. Matthew Strazel had a good showing as well, adding 13 points toward the win, with Donatas Motiejūnas and Alpha Diallo scoring 11 points each.  

“It’s a great victory, I felt comfortable on the pitch,” said Tarpey after the game. “It’s my best match for AS Monaco, and that makes me happy. I have worked a lot with the assistant coaches in recent weeks. It’s work that pays off in the end. For me personally, it feels like the season starts today, and I hope to continue on this path.” 

FORMULA 1 

The United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas was won by the near unstoppable Max Verstappen, which came as a surprise to almost no one. But the shock factor was present thanks to the post-race disqualifications of Charles Leclerc, who placed sixth after a start in pole, and Lewis Hamilton, who had nabbed the second place spot.  

Both drivers’ cars were found to have “irregularities” following the race. According to the official report, “The skids located in the area -825 ≥ XR ≥ – 1025 are found to be not in compliance with Article 3.5.9 e of the 2023 Formula One Technical Regulations.”

An FIA statement confirming the decision said Mercedes and Ferrari had acknowledged their respective breach was “probably a result of the unique combination of the bumpy track and the Sprint race schedule that minimised the time to set up and check the car before the race”. 

The disqualifications meant that McLaren’s Lando Norris moved up to second and Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz took third.

RUGBY 

And then there were two… 

The Rugby World Cup saw a heartbreaking loss for England as the South African Springboks beat them by a single point on Saturday at the Stade de France.  

Monaco’s Princess Charlene was on hand to cheer on her native team, who beat their opponents 16-15 in a rainy match that saw replacement Handré Pollard land a penalty from near the halfway line to secure the win.  

“It was a big moment, but it is what you want as a player on this stage, to have moments like that as a fly half is what you live for,” said Pollard after the match. 

Now they will face the other semi-final victors, New Zealand, in the final this coming Saturday at 9pm.

For their part, New Zealand handily beat out Argentina in a 44-6 rout on Friday, setting the All Blacks up to make history. If they secure the win in the finals, they will be the only team to have won four World Cup titles.  

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Main photo credit: Scuderia Ferrari Media Centre

With high hopes of winning the 2025 ACES World Capital of Sport award, Prince Albert II of Monaco has welcomed a delegation from the non-profit association to the Principality.  

Monaco began its candidature for the 2025 World Capital of Sport title back in May, but the Principality has now officially received an ACES Commission, marking the next step in a journey towards gaining international recognition for its dedication to sport and sporting events. 

“This small but enormously large city in terms of prestigious international events wants to strengthen with this candidacy not only its commitment to quality for the big sporting events, but also to promote the great work done in encouraging and promoting physical activity among its citizens,” said Hugo Alonso of ACES earlier this year. “A high-level candidacy that, if consummated by obtaining the title, would go on to join the exclusive list of World Sports Capitals along with Abu Dhabi, Guadalajara, Madrid, Konya and Sofia.” 

For this most recent meeting in October, Prince Albert was there in person to meet and greet the ACES delegation, which thanked the Monegasque sovereign for his “warm welcome” on social media.  

Despite falling well short of the usual 500,000 inhabitant criteria for a city applying for the World Capital of Sport title, Monaco’s status as a candidate is fortified thanks to its reputation as a host of multiple high profile sporting events each year, such as the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, the Monaco Grand Prix, various car rallies, sailing competitions and even a stage of the Tour de France in 2024. It is also home to the AS Monaco football team and the league-topping AS Monaco Basket Roca Team.

Speaking at a conference held in honour of the visiting ACES delegation, Monaco’s Interior Minister, Patrice Cellario, said, “It’s important to try and impress [the delegation] even if we aren’t sure that we have a chance of winning [the award]. The Principality’s has certain strengths… Sport is in the very DNA of the Principality, in the Prince of Monaco, in his family. Sport has always played an important role in the lives of the Princely family.”

About ACES

The non-profit association ACES assigns a number of awards each year that commemorate different cities’ commitment to sport, from World Capital of Sport to Mediterranean Capital of Sport and European Capital of Sport. Monaco, a place where “a fusion of sports, culture and diplomacy are the key ingredients that can lead to a remarkable achievement”, according to ACES, is setting its sights on the top level award. 

“The allocation of these recognitions is done… according to the principles of responsibility and ethics, being aware that sport is a factor of aggregation of the society, improvement in the quality of life, psycho-physical well-being and complete integration within social classes in the community,” says a spokesperson for ACES Europe, which maintains various partnerships with high-level organisations, including the European Commission for the European Week of Sport and UNESCO. 

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Photo source: ACES Europe / Facebook