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‘Munegu Family’ return en masse

by: Luke Entwistle
19/08/2022

Following two years of absence, the ‘Munegu Family’ has made its long-awaited return, filling their allocation during the first two home games of the season.

First during last week’s premier leg against PSV Eindhoven, and then during last weekend’s draw against Rennes, nearly 1,000 fans packed the Seconde B to support Philippe Clement’s men.

What is the ‘Munegu Family?’

The ‘Munegu Family’ allows an adult and a child to attend all of AS Monaco’s Ligue 1 home matches for just €450.

In a specially dedicated stand, the Seconde B, fans of the Principality club are treated to a range of activities, supplementing the on-pitch excitement. From a magic show to make-up stands and the chance to meet the club mascot, Bouba, there is something for everyone.

For Monaco’s previous two encounters, the stand has been full, welcoming almost 1,000 fans and places for this Saturday’s encounter against RC Lens are still available.

The return of the ‘Munegu Family’ after two years of absence due to the Coronavirus pandemic is welcome, and is now supplemented by a range of other campaigns made to encourage matchday attendance.

As well as providing a family-friendly way in which to watch the matches, other campaigns such as the ‘MuneGo’ car-sharing app also facilitate travel to both home and away games. Combined, the campaigns allow fans to get closer to the team that they love.

For Olga Dementeva, assistant Director General, the aim of the scheme is clear. “The will of the President is to reinforce the links between the club and its local supporters, by allowing children access to the stadium. The objective of the ‘Munegu Family’ is to offer a privileged environment to families, in order to give them the desire to come as often as possible to encourage the team at the stadium.”

The success of the scheme thus far is undeniable, and the hope is that fans continue to benefit from this memorable, unique experience throughout the entire Ligue 1 season.

 

 

Photo source: AS Monaco

 

 

 

 

ASM preview: “I don’t live in the past”

by: Luke Entwistle
18/08/2022

Speaking to the media ahead of Saturday’s match against RC Lens, manager Philippe Clement said that he isn’t thinking about revenge after last year’s agonising draw at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.

Second place was snatched from Monaco’s grasp in the dying seconds of Monaco’s previous campaign. A late equaliser from Lens relegated Clement’s side to third, meaning they missed out on automatic qualification to the Champions League. Having been forced to take the play-off route again this season, Monaco fell short once again, losing on aggregate to PSV Eindhoven.

However, revenge isn’t Clement’s great motivator ahead of the tie. The Belgian coach said, “I don’t live in the past, because you can also say that we beat them in the cup at their home ground. It’s a difficult match. The two clubs have the longest unbeaten runs. Lens have 10 matches, we have 12, so it’s a team with a lot of quality.”

For the encounter, Monaco have an almost clean bill of health. They are still without Myron Boadu, who is still struggling with a foot injury. Asked by Monaco Life about the injury, Clement said that having trained twice last week, he was feeling pain once again, causing the setback.

The Belgian coach also told Monaco Life that new signing Mohamed Camara, who was unveiled on Thursday, will likely not be ready for the encounter. He said, “He didn’t play a single minute of pre-season. We have to see in the coming weeks in order to give time, but it’s clear he can’t play 90 minutes.” Clement added that there could be internal matches or friendlies in order to expedite the process of ré-athlétisation.

Unfortunately for Monaco, they will also be without Youssouf Fofana after he received a red card during last weekend’s draw against Rennes. It is therefore likely that Monaco will start with Eliot Matazo and Jean Lucas in the midfield after the former recovered from a minor niggle picked up during the warm-up to their last match.

Both sides will be looking to maintain their unbeaten league runs, which are the longest in the French championship. For Monaco, who currently sit in fifth position, they will be hoping to earn the win that would – temporarily – put them top of Ligue 1 and keep up the pressure on PSG ahead of their crunch tie at the Parc des Princes next weekend.

 

Photo of Philippe Clement by Monaco Life

 

 

 

 

 

Paul Mitchell: “We have to push and be better this year”

by: Luke Entwistle
16/08/2022

AS Monaco will once again compete in the Europa League this season, and speaking during a recent press conference, sporting director Paul Mitchell outlined the club’s objectives heading into the campaign. 

Since Thursday’s conference, Monaco have signed Mohamed Camara from Red Bull Salzburg on a five-year deal. Whilst it is unclear whether Monaco will continue to add to their squad before the beginning of their Europa League campaign on 8th September, sporting director Mitchell did nevertheless tell Monaco Life that the club are always active in the market:

“We’re always active until the last moment. Like I say, my job is to bring together the best collective group we can have. We’re in three competitions; we know that rotation will be as important as ever. We need to bring an arsenal of quality to the coach’s fingertips for when he makes his selection. I think we’re in a very, very good way already, but as always, we’ll be on the market,” he said.

The arrivals of Sarr, and in particular Camara, came after Monaco’s second-leg defeat to PSV Eindhoven, which consigned the club to consecutive campaigns in the second-tier of European competition. However, Mitchell doesn’t perceive the timing of the transfers, more specifically, the signing of a number six, as a factor in their elimination.

“In terms of the number sixes, I would suggest that the performances of Eliot Matazo and Youssouf Fofana would answer that question. Between the two of them, it’s the best I’ve seen them play, especially in Eindhoven. I thought Youssouf was incredible, and that’s the best performance he has delivered for this organisation. I thought the same for Eliot. I thought they were both playing at a high, high level in a big contest. Would a player, or the wrong profile have helped or produced a better performance than those two? I seriously would doubt that,” said Mitchell.

Last season, Monaco’s failure in the Champions League play-offs seeped into their league form, and if Monaco hope to challenge PSG for the title, or secure that elusive second-place, they must avoid a repeat this time around. Mitchell delved into the reaction to that loss in Eindhoven, but stressed the importance of consigning the result to the past:

“I think directly after the game, I think everyone from the President to myself, to the coach, to the players, to the staff, and even Malang who had not yet signed, felt a level of disappointment. I think our performances across both games deserved more, but I’ve been in football a long time and I know sometimes that you need a little bit of luck. I don’t think on this occasion we quite got it. Then the disappointment turns to pride, pride in the performance, pride in the actions, pride in the qualities and the level that the team showed, their application to try to win the games, and when I started two years ago, this is what the fans asked from me. They wanted a team that, even in times of defeat, they could be proud of. I think as the hours passed by, that disappointment turned to pride and pride in the performance that we put in,” he said.

“We have to close the chapter. We had a de-briefing this morning, we analysed as always, all of yesterday, on the flight back in the hotel, and now we have to draw a line, look and think forward and focus on this season’s ambitions,” he continued.

Debatably the low point of last season was the aggregate defeat to Braga in the Europa League group stages in mid-March. This season Mitchell has made progression from the group a clear objective, whilst, by calling on the side to “be better” this season, it can be fairly assumed that his aspiration is for the club to get past the round of 16.

We saw Glasgow Rangers and Frankfurt fight out a great final last year. I think one of my moments of reflection in the whole season was probably the two games against Braga. I think we could have performed better. I think we could have given a better reflection of ourselves over the two games. We have to push and be better this year. With the squad that we have, with the quality and the depth that we have, we have to try and be better and put in the performances across the group stage and then hope that we can then proceed to the knockout stages and then, at that point in time, you’re in the competition. Let’s see where that can take us,” he said.

And Mitchell thinks that the side are prepared to push on this season, citing the team’s enhanced physical conditioning and recruitment as key improvements relative to last year’s campaign.

“I think we lived in the emotion of last year’s game for too long. I think it had a real effect. I think the physical levels of the team weren’t up to the appropriate levels to play three times a week. I think we’ve already seen from the three games we’ve played that our condition and the condition of the team is very high, both physically and mentally. I feel as though the quality and the depth of the squad is in a much, much better place than last year. So, these factors combined can hopefully lead us to have what has already been a good start against Strasbourg into future good games in the coming weeks,” he said.

Monaco will find out their group stage opponents during the draw on Friday 26th August. But it isn’t just their upcoming opponents that for now remain a mystery, but also the dates that they will face them. Europa League matches traditionally take place on Thursday night’s but should local rivals OGC Nice beat Maccabi Tel Aviv and qualify for the Europa Conference League, those timings come into question.

UEFA regulations on two local clubs playing in European competition on the same night read as follows: If more than one club from the same city, or within a radius of 50km (31 miles) of each other, is taking part in any of the UEFA club competitions and/or plays in the same stadium, and if the association and the clubs concerned explicitly declare when entering the clubs that their matches cannot be played on the same day or on consecutive days, the UEFA administration may alter or confirm dates and kick-off times in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee.

Asked if they would look to change the timings of their Europa League matches should Nice qualify for the third tier of European competition, Mitchell replied:

“We’re starting to discuss internally since the result on Tuesday night. It’s a conversation for the president, the CEO Jean-Emmanuel (de Witt) and myself to liaise with UEFA to see what the best practical solution could be in that circumstance.”

Whilst uncertainties over the upcoming Europa League adventure remain, the excitement for it is palpable – the need to build on last season’s underwhelming campaign clear.

 

 

Photo of Paul Mitchell and Malang Sarr by Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life

 

 

 

Fun activity: Test skills at new escape game in Monaco

by: Stephanie Horsman
16/08/2022

The Oceanographic Museum’s new escape room will take patrons on an adventure back in time to the high seas where danger abounds and only the clever will find their way home.

The new escape room at Monaco’s most popular tourist attract, the Oceanographic Museum, is a fun-filled, action-packed adventure for kids and adults alike.

Players will be asked to imagine themselves aboard the Princess Alice II, Prince Albert I’s famous laboratory boat, which is filled with all the tools needed to carry out a great ocean expedition. They will then be transported back in time to his 1901 Cape Verde explorations, where a violent storm threatens the whole voyage. Engines stop, the wind and waves toss the “crew” about and the nets on the seabed being used to gather data are in danger of being destroyed. It is up to the players to find a solution and get the precious cargo and the people back to dry land safely!

The game, designed in collaboration with IRIS Games, with an immersive scenography created by Camille Renversade, is a friend and family-friendly way to pass some time learning, exploring and having a lot of fun.

There are two games to choose from in these races against time. The first is the 30-minute mission, designed for those new to escape rooms, and the second is a hour-long ride for the more experienced players, covering two missions.

The minimum number of players is three, and the more players in a room, the lower the price, starting at €18 for the half hour and €35 for the one hour.

Note, the activity is only in French. For more info and tickets visit https://musee.oceano.org/activites/escape-game/

 

 

Image source: Oceanographic Museum of Monaco

 

 

 

Venturi’s Mortara victory not enough for championship win

by: Luke Entwistle
16/08/2022

Edoardo Mortara won the final race of the Formula E season in Seoul on Sunday, but the result wasn’t enough to achieve overall victory in the drivers or constructors standings.

Winner of this year’s Monaco ePrix Stoffel Vandoorne wrapped up the title on the tight, windy streets of the South Korean capital. The Mercedes-EQ driver effectively ended the season as a contest during Saturday’s race. A fifth-place finish left Mitch Evans with too much ground to make up in Sunday’s finale, whilst a DNF from ROKiT Venturi’s Mortara definitively ended his title aspirations.

However, going into Sunday’s race, the constructors’ world title was still up for grabs. After a good qualifying, Mortara took the inside line into turn one to maintain second position despite a challenge from Jake Dennis.

Mortara, knowing that only a victory and a strong performance from teammate Lucas Di Grassi would suffice, made inroads into António Felix Da Costa’s lead in the early stages. He then made a daring move down the inside of the Portuguese driver, having dummied a move around the outside. He made the move stick, whilst Dennis also profited and moved up to second.

Monégasque manufacturer Venturi was given hope mid-race when Nyck De Vries had to pit because of a puncture. However, that hope was short-lived. Just a few laps later, Di Grassi dropped down to seventh and then to the side of the track as he too suffered a puncture. Following his enforced pit stop, he re-joined outside of the points and the title looked to have slipped away from Venturi.

However, going into the final race, it was never really in Venturi’s hands. A solid, points-scoring race from Vandoorne was all that was needed for him to wrap up the drivers’ title as well as the constructors’ title.

Vandoorne’s result was more than solid as he profited from errors by the drivers in front of him. Running in fourth, a collision between Da Costa and Dennis saw the former drop back through the field, whilst the latter was handed a time penalty. Vandoorne therefore moved up to second and in doing so secured the title.

Mortara’s victory in the final round was ultimately inconsequential, although it did secure him third place in the drivers’ standings. Venturi finished the season as vice-champions, finishing 29 points ahead of DS Techeetah in third, but 24 points behind champions Mercedes-EQ.

Reflecting on the season, Venturi team principal Jérôme d’Ambrosio said, “A victory for Edo is a fantastic way to end the season. I think this result reflects the performance we have shown throughout the year, but at the same time, there is a bittersweet feeling because it feels like we could have had more in the World Teams’ Championship. We fought until the very end.”

He continued, “Reflecting on our progression and evolution as a team over the past two years makes me very proud. I’m proud of every team member, of what we’ve achieved together and the trajectory that the team is on.”

Race winner Mortara echoed d’Ambrosio’s thoughts, adding that he’s “confident that the best is yet to come.” Having narrowly missed out, Venturi will want to build on this strong season, and go one better next year.

 

 

Photo source: ROKiT Venturi Racing

 

 

 

Podcast interview: Prof. Philip Landrigan on childhood cancer and the “chemical crisis”

by: Cassandra Tanti
14/08/2022

An alarming new report shows that cancer is now the leading cause of death by disease in American children under the age of 15, and chemical exposure is believed to be the driving force. Professor Philip Landrigan is among a group of scientists who is lobbying for governments to finally confront the shocking truth.

Professor Philip Landrigan is Director of the Global Observatory on Planetary Health at Boston College in the United States, as well as Chargé de Mission within the Human Health Centre of the Scientific Centre of Monaco (CSM).

In June, he published a report titled Paediatric Cancer and the Environment: A 50-year Perspective.

It shows that, in the same years as childhood cancer deaths were falling because of better treatments, the incidence of childhood cancer – the number of new cases per 1,000 children – was increasing. Leukaemia incidence in the United States has increased by 21% since 1976, brain cancer incidence by 45%, and testicular cancer incidence by 51%.

“A lot of people don’t realise this because cancer treatment has gotten much better in recent decades and more than 80% of children with cancer now survive the disease,” Prof. Landrigan tells Monaco Life from his Boston office. “But those magnificent gains are being offset by the rising number of new cancer cases which are very, very disturbing. The only cause that kills more kids than cancer is injuries and violence. Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease.”

Too rapid to be genetic in origin – “genetic changes can take centuries to play out” says the professor, scientists believe that this continued increase in the incidence of childhood cancers also can’t be explained solely by greater access to medical care or the widespread availability of new diagnostic technologies like CT scans and MRIs.

The conclusion, they say, is obvious: external, environmental factors must be responsible for part of this increase.

“We came to the conclusion that it must be something or some combination of things in the environment that is causing the increase in cancers incidence, and the most obvious candidate is toxic chemicals,” says Prof. Landrigan. “Children today are surrounded by hundreds of thousands of new chemicals that didn’t exist in their parents and grandparents time, and a number of these chemicals have already been found to cause cancer in humans.”

In fact, children today are surrounded by approximately 350,000 manufactured chemicals and chemical mixtures. These are new materials, almost all invented since 1950, produced in huge quantities. And the volume of global production is set to double by 2030. “Manufactured chemicals now pollute every corner of the planet, from the deepest ocean trenches to the heights of the Himalayas. Several hundred of them are found in measurable amounts in the bodies of almost everyone on earth, including nursing mothers, infants and children,” states the professor in his report. “Chemical pollution has become so widespread and complex that an expert body recently concluded that it exceeds societies’ abilities to monitor and contain it and thus threatens the safe operating space for humanity.”

The report analysed data from a national surveillance system in the USA which covers about 10% of the population. That’s around 130 million people followed over a span of 50 years.

“So, it is based on very large numbers,” confirms the professor, adding, “Exposure in the first two to three years of life is critical, even exposure in the womb, because when a mum is exposed to the chemicals in her food, drinking water, the air that she breaths during her pregnancy… the chemicals get into her body, and they go into the baby.

“Exposures during that time are very dangerous because the baby’s cells and organs are right in the middle of a very complex process of early development, and if a toxic chemical gets into the baby at that time, the effects can be devastating.”

The problem is that the chemicals produced are presumed harmless until they are proven to cause disease or environmental damage, and are put on the market with little or no assessment of their potential dangers.

According to the report, fewer than 50% of the most widely used manufactured chemicals have been tested for toxicity, and fewer than 20% have been examined for potential developmental toxicity.

“Right now, a chemical manufacturer can invent a new chemical, sign the commercial application for it, put it into a product, and move it out into the market place with virtually no regulatory oversight,” says Prof. Landrigan. “The result is that people are exposed to this chemical for years, or even decades, before authorities finally intervene.”

That’s beginning to change in Europe, where in 2007 the European Commission passed a legislation called REACH, which shifts responsibility from public authorities to industry with regards to assessing and managing the risks posed by chemicals.

But in most countries around the world, there is almost no oversight on new chemicals, and they are allowed to come to the market with almost no scrutiny whatsoever.

That’s why the precautionary approach is so important, argues the professor, a policy which assumes that all chemicals produced are hazardous until proven safe.

“The precautionary approach means, quite simply, that chemicals are examined for safety and toxicity before they come to market. There is nothing really new here, it is something that we have done for decades with pharmaceuticals. A company can’t bring a new medication, a new vaccine, to market without doing extensive safety testing, as we saw with the Covid vaccine. But when it comes to industrial chemicals and consumer chemicals, they just go out the door without any checks and balances.”

Professor Phillip Landrigan and his colleagues are now advocating for the same level of scrutiny that’s applied to pharmaceuticals to be applied to other new chemicals; that there be a new approach to the management of chemicals focused on the protection of health and the principle “No data, no market”, and that all existing chemicals are tested – starting with the worst ones – to determine whether they should stay on the stairs.

Strong backlash from the chemical industry is expected, but Prof. Landringan is no stranger to battling with the big corporates. In the 1970s, he was part of a team of scientists who discovered that lead was causing brain damage in children and successfully lobbied the US government to take lead out of gasoline. Every other country in the world has since followed, with Algeria being the last in 2021.

In the 1990s, he chaired a committee that looked at children’s vulnerability to pesticides. They found that kids were far more suspectable to pesticide chemicals than adults, and persuaded President Bill Clinton and the US Congress to pass the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 that greatly restricted children’s exposure to pesticides.

“Those are just two examples where the patient data coupled with science-driven advocacy persuaded governments to do the right thing, and now I think it’s time to do the same with childhood cancers,” says the professor.

Using the same strategy, Professor Landrigan and his colleagues are pushing the message that rising rates of childhood cancer are unacceptable and something must be done about it.

“It will take a few years, there will be a lot of pushback from the chemical industry, and it will depend on who is in power in the White House and in Congress over the next few years, but we will be patient and persistent. The proof is on our side and we will finally win out,” he says confidently.

Professor Landringan is also calling for more research programs focused on prevention, to finally pinpoint the exact environmental causes behind the malignant tumours in our children.

 

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