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Young photographers showcase Monaco’s architectural heritage

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
09/06/2025

A captivating photography exhibition featuring the work of young talents aged 11 to 25 has opened at the Saint-Martin Gardens, offering fresh perspectives on Monaco’s built heritage.

The ‘Architectural Heritage of Monaco’ photography competition exhibition was officially inaugurated on Thursday 5th June, transforming the railings of the Saint-Martin Gardens into an outdoor gallery that will remain on display until 5th October.

Organised by the Department of Cultural Affairs, the competition was launched to encourage artistic practice amongst young people. Meanwhile, it contributes to the preservation of Monaco’s architectural legacy. The initiative has successfully engaged the Principality’s youth in celebrating their built environment through the lens of photography.

An expert jury carefully selected 15 photographs from the submissions to feature in the exhibition. The distinguished panel included Françoise Gamerdinger, Director of Cultural Affairs; heritage expert Stéphane Bern; Jean-Philippe Vinci, Director of DENJS; Björn Dahlström, Director of the New National Museum of Monaco; Célia Bernasconi, Chief Curator of the New National Museum of Monaco and President of the Heritage Council; and renowned photographer, director and writer Nick Danziger.

Photos captured by the young talents of Monaco, depicting Monaco's architectural heritage
Photos captured by the young talents of Monaco, depicting Monaco’s architectural heritage

Celebrating young talent

Four standout photographers emerged as winners from this selection: Adrian Blanchi, Andrea Brezzo, Léonie Massa, and Jeanna Grogorian. A youth jury comprised of students from the Principality—including Lily Coheur, Carla Giraldi, Joeline Kalbfleisch, Lou Nardi, and Gabriela Nencheva—chose the winners.

The Department of Cultural Affairs, with support from SOGEDA Monaco, has also rewarded all 15 featured photographers with a special masterclass led by Nick Danziger. This professional development opportunity aims to help the young artists refine their photographic skills and artistic practice.

The timing of the exhibition’s conclusion is particularly significant. It coincides with the European Heritage Days on 5th October, which will focus on the theme of Architectural Heritage.

However, the journey for these young photographers’ work does not end here. Monaco will take the exhibition to Strasbourg in 2026 as part of its presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

See more in our video reel below…

Monaco Life is produced by a team of real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok.  

All photos by Monaco Life

Local kids invited to join water safety event with Princess Charlene and First Lady Brigitte Macron

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
04/06/2025

A special Water Safety event will take place on Sunday, 8th June, as part of the state visit of French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron to Monaco.

From 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Centre Nautique Albert II at Stade Louis II, organisers will host pool activities to raise awareness about drowning prevention and teach lifesaving techniques.

The event forms part of the Princess Charlène of Monaco Foundation’s Water Safety programme, which supports projects aimed at raising awareness of drowning prevention and teaching lifesaving to children and adults in all types of water environments.

To offer activities adapted to each environment, the Foundation relies on a network of local associations and national rescue societies.

The water safety activities, whether theoretical or practical, teach participants to learn and apply the prevention triptych: identify, alert, intervene.

In order to attend, children must bring their own swimsuits. Registration is also mandatory as spots are limited.

To register, call +377 98 98 99 99 or email contact@fpcm.mc

Monaco Life is produced by a team of real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok.  

Feature image sourced from the Princess Charlène of Monaco Foundation

Football: Stars align as Monaco secure Champions League qualification

by: Luke Entwistle
11/05/2025
Zakaria celebrates scoring Monaco's second in a 2-0 win over Lyon. He is joined in celebrating by Thilo Kehrer.

Competitors fell by the wayside on a dream night in the Principality as AS Monaco secured qualification for next season’s Champions League with a win over Lyon (2-0).

This was never supposed to be the night in which Monaco’s fate was decided. For Lyon, it was billed as all-or-nothing. Amid their mounting financial issues, victory was essential to keep them in the Champions League race and, by extension, keep them afloat financially. The pressure was on them and it showed in the reception that their owner, John Textor, received from the travelling Lyon fans. The American was booed pre-match and was on the receiving end of an unflattering banner at kick-off.

That is not to say that the pressure was off Monaco; a defeat at the hands of a direct rival would have proven a substantial blow. With Lille, Nice, Strasbourg, and Lyon all waiting in the wings, the margin for error in this run-in has been minimal. Luckily, Adi Hütter’s side have been nearly faultless in this final sprint, conceding just one loss in their last eight.

In front of a packed Stade Louis II, it was OL, the more desperate of the two sides, who seized the upper hand in the first half. Philipp Köhn once again vindicated Hütter’s decision to reinstate him, pulling off exceptional saves from Alexandre Lacazette and then Malick Fofana later in the half.

Zakaria with a symbolic goal for Moanco

Les Monégasques had their chances but were largely subdued. Takumi Minamino forced Lucas Perri into a good save from close range with neither side doing enough to take an advantage at the break.

This is a game that would be decided on what managers like to call “details”, often synonymous with errors, and Nemanja Matić’s error just after the hour mark proved a game-defining one. His nonchalont free-kick was pounced on by Maghnes Akliouche. He found Minamino, who was inexplicably allowed to advance into the Lyon box unchallenged before finishing past Perri.

Zakaria then doubled Monaco’s advantage just minutes later, heading home a free-kick from man-of-the-match Lamine Camara. It was fitting that Hütter’s most trusted figure, the man who wears the armband, got the goal that secured their return to the upper echelon of European competition. “I trained him when he was 18 and then at Borussia Mönchengladbach. The feeling is that he is my boy, a bit. His goal decided the game,” said Hütter.

“It is a big party” – Hütter

Monaco were doing all they could and elsewhere, results were going their way. Nice were trailing at Rennes, Strasbourg were trailing at Angers, and Lille were trailing at Brest. “All of the results going for us was a bit strange,” admitted Hütter post-match.

In the dugout, players and technical staff were aware of the stars aligning elsewhere and it showed as full-time approached in their eagerness to get on the pitch and celebrate the achievement.

“This season, the achievement is bigger than last season, that is my opinion,” said an elated Hütter after dragging himself away from jubilant scenes in the dressing room to undertake his media duties. “It is a big party. Everyone is very happy, and I am very proud.”

Hütter commits future to Monaco

Despite a gruelling Champions League campaign, with 11 more matches than last season, Monaco have once again reached their objective in their centenary year, and ahead of time too, with one game to spare. “It was a demanding season with some waves, but in the crunch time, we were there,” added Hütter.

Hütter has accorded his side three days off and there will be an end-of-term feel to their Ligue 1 finale against Lens next weekend. It will be a game without consequence and Monaco now go into the summer with assurances: Hütter has said he will remain, some of the more coveted assets (Akliouche, most notably) will likely leave and there will be a regeneration of the squad. Convincing players to join the project shouldn’t be too difficult. With Champions League football guaranteed, Monaco will once again be a particularly popular destination this summer.

 

Monaco Life is produced by a team of real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok.  

Photo source: AS Monaco

Football: Champions League-chasing Monaco see home run halted by Strasbourg

by: Luke Entwistle
20/04/2025
Maghnes Akliouche on the ball in Monaco's draw against Strasbourg at the Stade Louis II

The fear of losing outweighed the desire to win as Champions League-chasing AS Monaco and Strasbourg saw out a tepid 0-0 draw at the Stade Louis II on Saturday.

Monaco, off the back of home victories against OGC Nice and Marseille at home, were looking to extend their winning run at home to seven matches. However, this was a much more closed affair than those that preceded it. There wasn’t a lack of ambition from Strasbourg, simply a different game plan, and one based on exploiting the Principality club in transitions. It is a play style that has them well in the race for Champions League football.

Chances limited at Stade Louis II

It was the visitors who had the first big chance of the match but it was squandered by Emanuel Emegha, whose touch was loose, allowing Christian Mawissa to recover and get in a potentially goal-saving block.

Chelsea loanee Djordje Petrovic, in front of BlueCo’s Behdad Eghbali, then made a big stop for Strasbourg, palming away Maghnes Akliouche’s effort from outside the box. Monaco then thought that they had taken the lead through the prolific Mika Biereth on the stroke of half-time.

However, the Dane was denied a 13th goal in as many Ligue 1 games by the offside flag with Caio Henrique found to have been in an offside position in the build-up.

The game did not open up after the break. “We defended really well as a team to prevent Strasbourg from creating any real chances from the start to the end of the match,” said Adi Hütter post-match. The best chance fell to Valentín Barco midway through the second-half but he could only fire over with his first-time effort from inside the box.

Eliesse Ben Seghir came on in the 70th minute and added a fresh and much-needed impetus. He headed over, whilst amid a push to score a late winner, Folarin Balogun forced a save from Petrovic.

Hütter and Rosenior involved in altercation

However, it was Strasbourg who thought that they had nicked an opportune winner. Emegha popped up at the back post to head into the empty net, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.

Neither side truly did enough to warrant the win and as the full-time whistle went, there was frustration, at least from Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior, who was involved in a minor altercation with Hütter at full-time.

Rosenior said that his issue with Hütter began during the first meeting between the pair. “There is a code that I live by: you respect your opposition, you respect the people that you play against. I felt that code was broken. I felt that code was broken in the first game (against Monaco earlier in the season). When I have to wait five minutes to wear the opposition manager’s (Hütter) hand, that says a lot about other people […] I am here to win matches, not to make friends,” said Rosenior in reaction to the minor spat at the full-time whistle.

Hütter, in response, said that he had not seen Rosenior. “It is the first time in my 16 years as a manager that I’ve heard things like this. I have managed in many countries, managed 650 matches. I have been coaching two years in France and no coach has ever said to me that I have disappointed them,” added the Monaco manager.

“Every match is a final” – Hütter

Turning focus back to the match, Hütter said that he was “happy with the point taken”. He added, “It isn’t a negative result. We obviously wanted to win and take the three points but I feel that we had the better chances in the match.”

Monaco have now ceded second place to Marseille, who won later on Saturday evening. As Akliouche highlighted, this point may be important come the end of the season. “Every match is a final,” added Hütter as the race for Champions League football hots up.

Monaco Life is produced by a team of real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok.  

Photo source: AS Monaco

Football: Refereeing controversy as history repeats itself in Monaco defeat to Benfica

by: Luke Entwistle
13/02/2025
Zakaria on the pitch at the Stade Louis II as Monaco take on Benfica in the Champions League

Moatasem Al-Musrati was controversially sent off as AS Monaco once again slumped to defeat at home to Benfica (0-1), just as they did back in November, at the Stade Louis II on Wednesday night.

There was a sense of déjà-vu at the Stade Louis II as, less than three months after their last visit, Benfica returned to the Principality and, once again, the encounter was dominated by a controversial refereeing call.

A cautious encounter bursts into life

The game had started in a relatively tepid manner with both sides (overly) cautious not to concede the first goal in this two-legged Champions League play-off. That caution meant that chances were at a premium throughout, especially in the first half.

Maghnes Akliouche went close for Les Monégasques in the ninth minute and we had to wait until the 43rd minute until the next clear-cut opportunity. This one fell to Benfica with Alvaro Carreras forcing Radoslaw Majecki into a save low to his right.

But the game quickly sparked into life early in the second half. Vangelis Pavlidis beat the offside trap and got goal side of his marker Mohammed Salisu before chipping Radoslaw Majecki from a tight angle.

Just four minutes later and Monaco found themselves a goal down and a man down. It was the contentious moment of the match as Al-Musrati, in his first start for the Principality club since joining from Besiktas, was shown a yellow for imitating the awarding of a yellow card.

“The sending-off decided the result” – Hütter

In the rules of the game, it is a sanctionable offence and so Al-Musrati was sanctioned, receiving a second yellow and a red card. “Yes, this is the rule, but he was not aggressive,”  argued Adi Hütter post-match. Monaco will also point to the irregularity or infrequency of the application of this rule. “The sending-off decided the result,” bemoaned the Monaco manager, with CEO Thiago Scuro also passing through the mixed zone post-match to bemoan another controversial refereeing performance.

With a return leg in Lisbon next week, attention turned to damage limitation Pavlidis almost doubled his account on the night but Majecki was equal to his close-range effort.

And whilst Benfica huffed, they struggled to work clear goal-scoring opportunities. Not only did they fail to add to their advantage, but they also lost key player Ángel Di María to injury late on; he is unlikely to play any part in the return leg.

But Monaco weren’t unscathed late on either. Both Denis Zakaria and Vanderson got late yellows and will play no part in Lisbon next Tuesday due to suspension. The worst was avoided as the game finished 1-0 to Benfica and (some) hope remains.

Monaco head to Portugal as underdogs

“We are disappointed but we will see what we can do in the return leg […] the challenge is more difficult but you have to trust and believe that anything can happen,” reacted Hütter.

The Monaco manager approached this two-legged tie against Benfica insisting that, by virtue of having already lost to the Portuguese side in the Champions League this season, his side were the “underdogs”. If that title didn’t suit Monaco before Wednesday evening, then it certainly does now as Hütter’s side look to keep their European adventure alive in Portugal next week.

 

Monaco Life is produced by real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads,  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok.  

Photo source: AS Monaco

Football: Mika Biereth quick-fire hat-trick sees Monaco sink Auxerre

by: Luke Entwistle
01/02/2025
Biereth celebrates with his teammates as Monaco take the lead against Auxerre at the Stade Louis II

Mika Biereth singlehandedly swept aside a spirited Auxerre (4-2) as he netted an eight-minute hat-trick, allowing AS Monaco to bounce back from their midweek defeat to Inter Milan.

Monaco were looking to erase the memory of a midweek “nightmare” at the San Siro and return to winning ways. However, the task was not easy. Auxerre have a knack for frustrating big sides, as they did by comprehensively beating Marseille at the Vélodrome back in November, or even more recently, holding Champions League high-fliers Lille to a goalless draw.

They frustrated Monaco for much of the first half and – as they often do – looked to catch their opponents on the break. They almost did that on the 15-minute mark as Gaëtan Perrin rounded Radoslaw Majecki and tucked home. However, he didn’t time his run and was caught out by a tight offside.

“One of the worst halves since I arrived in Monaco” – Hütter

Instead, it was Monaco who took the lead midway through the half as Thilo Kehrer reacted quickest in a crowded box to blast home a volley and score from Les Monégasques’ only chance of the half.

But their lead lasted just three minutes. Sinaly Diomandé latched onto a lay-off, sending an outside-of-the-boot effort into the top corner. Auxerre then rallied, creating a flurry of half-chances before being gifted a bigger one on the stroke of half-time.

Denis Zakaria pulled down Jubal in the box and the Auxerre captain stepped up himself to take the penalty. However, he missed his initial effort, saved by Majecki, who had clumsily stepped off his line before the kick was taken. Jubal made the most of his reprieve, finishing the second effort.

“It was one of the worst first halves I have seen since I arrived in Monaco,” said Adi Hütter post-match. Changes at the break seemed a logical outcome and Auxerre manager Christophe Pélissier said that he anticipated Monaco’s three changes and subsequent formation change, not that his side could handle it. Importantly, Breel Embolo came on to partner Biereth, who had struggled to get in the game in the first half.

Hütter makes game-altering teamtalk

It was a game-changing tactical switch from Hütter as Biereth levelled the scores with a calm finish one-on-one. He then allowed the Principality club to retake the lead with a close-range volleyed finish that took a nick off the post on the way in. He then gave Monaco breathing room, latching onto the ball after Embolo had rounded Donovan Léon but ran the ball too far.

Biereth was on hand to finish, completing his hat-trick in just eight devastating minutes that put the game to bed. Ado Onaiwu hit the bar for Auxerre late on, whilst Embolo was foiled one-on-one. That miss was of no consequence as Monaco held on for what ultimately – on the face of it – looked a comfortable victory.

The reality was anything but. Hütter has his share of responsibility for the turnaround, even if Biereth’s “special” performance will take the headlines. It was the switch to two strikers and an inspired, “direct but calm” – in Kehrer’s words – half-time speech, that righted the ship.

PSG up next

“For sure, for Mika to score three goals is special. Today, Mika and Breel showed that they could play together. I have the feeling that there are opportunities there. I was impressed and there is big promise for the future,” said Hütter.

An “important” victory under Monaco’s belt, they head to the Parc des Princes looking to beat PSG, take revenge for their Trophée des Champions defeat and – perhaps – even relaunch an unlikely title challenge.

 

Monaco Life is produced by real multi-media journalists writing original content. See more in our free newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads,  Facebook,  Instagram,  LinkedIn and Tik Tok.

Photo source: AS Monaco