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Canadian MMA icon to chair Sportel Awards in Monaco

by: luke@monacolife.net
14/09/2022

Georges St-Pierre, known as one of the best mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters worldwide, will chair the Sportel Awards jury at the Grimaldi Forum in October.

The two-time UFC champion, called “rush” in reference of his lighting speed, is a two-time UFC champion and will chair the Sportel jury between 22th and 24th October.

St-Pierre, born in Quebec, has an incredible record (26 wins out of 28 fights, including eight by knockout, six by submission and 12 by decision) and made his long-awaited comeback at Madison Square Garden in 2017, following a four-year absence. He has been voted Athlete of the Year and Fighter of the Year on several occasions.

The Canadian officially retired in 2019 after a glistening 17-year career and is now focusing on his other projects, most notably his acting career, including appearances in ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ and ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’.

He will chair the Sportel Awards Ceremony on 24th October, an event which rewards the best sports books and sports images of the year. “In addition to the missions that I have been assigned to, chairing the jury and selecting the most beautiful sports images, it is above all a great human adventure that promises to be exceptional. It is a unique opportunity to meet the greatest champions in their respective disciplines in one place, to share our common values and passion,” said St-Pierre.

The awards, created in 1990 and under the Honorary patronage of Prince Albert II, is an event that allows exceptional and unique encounters with champions during public events specially dedicated to them, such as signings, exclusive meetings, and screenings.

On St-Pierre’s attendance at the event, Laurent Puons, CEO of Monaco Mediax said, “Georges St-Pierre is a real MMA legend, an athlete whose incredible performances have been highlighted all throughout his career thanks to his determination, his humility and to his moral and physical strength.”

He added, “He is an athlete with unique human values. I am extremely happy and proud that he has agreed to chair the jury of experts who will be selecting the most beautiful sports images of the year.”

 

 

Photo source: Sportel

 

 

 

 

ASM preview: “I’m seeing solidarity, discipline and mental and physical strenght”

by: Luke Entwistle
14/09/2022

AS Monaco manager Philippe Clement has told a pre-match press conference that he is under no illusions as to the threat posed by Ferencváros, although he is counting on his side’s “mental and physical strength” to extend their winning run.

Clement spoke to the media on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s Europa League tie at the Stade Louis II, the first to take place in the Principality of this current European campaign. His side are teeming with confidence, for many reasons, but largely because of their three-game winning run, which included victories against local rivals Nice, as well as European hopefuls Lyon.

Before the fixture at the Allianz Riviera, the first win in their current run, defender Caio Henrique told Monaco Life that a win against their local rivals could “launch their season.” And so it has proved, with the Brazilian left-back a key component of their recent success.

“His start to the season has been of a very good level,” began Clement. “He has progressed even further compared to last season. He is feeling good within the dressing room and his playing style perfectly suits a three-man defense. As a result of that, he can show his offensive qualities more.”

Collectively, Monaco are high on confidence, but the recent performances of some key players is also helping to boost confidence on a personal level. Axel Disasi and Youssouf Fofana, both of whom have been undroppable since the beginning of the season, earned a place in Didier Deschamps’ provisional France squad.

“I am very happy for them because they’ve both had very good starts to the season. I think it’s very good to have experiences like that. Last season when Aurélien [Tchouaméni] came back from international duty for example, he did so with more confidence and experience. I am very happy when my players are picked for their international teams. It allows them to play at a good level, whilst accruing experience,” Clement told Monaco Life. 

As well as confidence, there is a level of physical preparedness within the squad that makes Monaco a formidable opponent. Last year, the club boasted the most impressive physical statistics of any French club and ranked third on a European level. This year, the club have continued on the same path, and the results are being felt by the players themselves.

“[Aleksandr] Golovin told me this morning that he felt as if he had never recovered quicker from a match in his career. You see then why they worked so much during pre-season,” said Clement.

In that context, Monaco may find themselves with a tough challenger during Thursday’s tie against Hungarian champions Ferencváros. Due to their dominance in the domestic division, they can afford to make wholesale changes, and only two of the players that started their Europa League tie last Thursday started during their domestic fixture at the weekend.

“This will be a tough match against a side that will undoubtedly be fresher than us,” said Clement. However, the Belgian coach also sees the strengths within his side to allow them to secure that fourth consecutive victory in all competitions.

“I am seeing solidarity, discipline, and a mental and physical strength, even when we weren’t winning at the beginning of the season. There are also more and more automatism, which is normal with a new system and new players to integrate into the squad,” said Clement.

Monaco attacker Krépin Diatta also praised the atmosphere within the group ahead of the clash, telling Monaco Life, “The competition within the squad is very healthy. When someone doesn’t play, they don’t complain. So long as the spirit within the group is like that, we will get results.”

Although without the defensive anchor of Guillermo Maripán and Kevin Volland for the fixture, Monaco will be hoping to validate Diatta’s comments and continue their run of positive results. A victory would not only be their fourth in quick succession, but it would also consolidate the strong start to their Europa League campaign and potentially allow them to clinch top spot in the group.

 

Photo of Philippe Clement and Krépin Diatta by Monaco Life

 

 

Remembering Princess Grace: 40th anniversary of her passing

by: Stephanie Horsman
13/09/2022

September 14th is a difficult day for the Princely family as it is the day they lost their beloved mother, Princess Grace, who died of injuries sustained in a car crash in 1982. Wednesday marks the 40th anniversary of her passing.

It’s hard to imagine four decades have passed since the death of Princess Grace. Her memory and spirit are still so much a part of the Principality, and her legacies continue to touch people to this day, making her presence seem as if she were still here on some level.

Her son, Prince Albert II, spoke about his mother to Monaco Matin, saying he talks to his children, Hereditary Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, about their iconic grandmother and what a source of light and inspiration she was. He also shares what his plans are to mark the anniversary of her death on 14thSeptember.

“I think we’ll go to her grave, and we’ll have some family time. There’s been a lot of evocations of my mother in recent years. Documentaries, exhibitions, lots of events that invoke her memory. We thought that it was not absolutely useful to do something special for these 40 years,” said the Prince.

Her untimely loss aged only 52 was a shock to the world, and provoked great outpourings of grief and emotion, similar to another royal passing being played out in the UK this week with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. Princess Grace led a fairy tale existence, first as an Oscar-winning screen idol and Hitchcock blonde, and then as a real-life Princess upon marrying Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956.

“It’s so incredible and it warms the hearts of my sisters and the whole family,” the Prince went on to say. “Her memory is not only very vivid, but it has crossed generations who have taken the time to be interested in my mother, in her life, in her image and what she was able to leave as a memory. Her presence is still very much felt. Her heritage is still very present in the Principality and elsewhere in the world. All the time, people I meet talk to me of her, even people who did not know her.”

The Princess’s contributions to Monaco are felt even now. She has been credited with not only turning the Principality into an international centre for glamour, but also for her charitable works, which focused heavily on the welfare of the sick and children.

Princess Grace, photo source Palace Archives

The story of her death is now legend. On the morning of 13th September 1982, the Princess and her youngest daughter Princess Stephanie leave their country house, Roc Agel, in the hills above Monaco in a Rover 3500 at about 9:30 in the morning.

As they descend, they pass a truck driver who notices the car speeding toward a hairpin turn and watches helplessly as the car careens over the cliff, falling 40 metres in the garden of the former artistic director of Loews, Jacques Provence.

“The Rover fell three meters from us!” Provence later told Jean des Cars in the 1990s. “This place on the road was reputed to be very dangerous: we had already experienced four car crashes. In the seconds that followed this terrible shock, we did not know who was inside of the car.”

Firemen arrived on the scene and extracted Stephanie, before using a blowtorch to free Princess Grace. Both were rushed to the hospital, but it was Grace who was by far in the worse shape. Despite all efforts being made to save her life, she died the following day of her injuries.

Investigations following the accident concluded that the Princess suffered a stroke which made her lose control of the car.

Prince Albert recalls that day, saying “there were never any doubts” as to the official word on the circumstances surrounding the tragedy, despite a flurry of rumours spread at the time.

To celebrate the life of Princess Grace, the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra and the De Dannan group will pay tribute to Princess Grace with a concert featuring traditional Irish music and the world premiere of a new piece entitled the Princess Grace Symphonic Suite.

The show will be held on Thursday 15th September at 8pm at the Rainier III Auditorium. For more information or to buy tickets, visit the website on https://www.opmc.mc/en/concert/tribute-to-princess-grace/

 

 

 

Photo above source: Palace Archives

 

 

 

Prince and Princess lay first stone at future SPA site

by: Stephanie Horsman
13/09/2022

Nearly two years after the decision was made, the first stone was laid for the future building that will house the Society of the Protection of Animals in the picturesque mountain village of Peille.

Situated between Monaco and Menton in the hills lies the “perched” town of Peille, future home of the Society of the Protection of Animals (SPA) animal shelter, which officially broke ground on Monday in a ceremony attended by both Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene.

The Princely couple lay the first stone at the site, and a plaque noting the moment has already been placed to commemorate the occasion. Both the Prince and Princess have been active in animal rights and protection acts: the Prince through his foundation’s environmental actions and the Princess through hers, most recently her trip to South Africa working with the highly threatened rhinoceroses of the region. 

It was revealed during the ceremony that Princess Charlene is the new president of the Monaco SPA, taking up a position left vacant since the death of Baroness Elizabeth-Ann de Massy in 2020.

Photo credit Eric Mathon, Prince’s Palace

The SPA location in current use in the village of Èze is woefully inadequate, being both too small to accommodate the animals in residence as well as being rather run down. After over a decade of deliberation, the French authorities and the government of Monaco finally found a suitable alternative, being the Peille site.

The hold-up stemmed from reluctance by the mayors of local municipalities to build and house a new refuge and in the end, two towns were selected as possibilities, namely Blausasc and Peille. Ultimately, it was Peille that was selected.

Monaco had considered a site near the Jardin Exotique, but found it unsuitable as space is at such a premium in the Principality and the room needed to allow animals some leg room just wasn’t there.

Photo credit: Eric Mathon, Prince’s Palace

Works were originally set to start in the summer of 2021, but due to unforeseen delays, the ground-breaking only began now, a full year later than expected.

The new SPA shelter is set to be move-in ready by the end of 2023 and will be home to abandoned and abused animals from all over the area. In the meantime, the Èze facility will continue operations as best as they can.

 

 

Photo above credit: Eric Mathon, Prince’s Palace

 

 

 

 

New-look AS Monaco Women start with a win

by: luke@monacolife.net
13/09/2022

AS Monaco Women began their Régional 1 season with a comfortable 4-0 victory against Toulon Elite Futsal to get their promotion chase off to the perfect start. 

It is all change of the Principality’s Womens’ side this season. Stéphane Guigo has been replaced on the sideline by the experienced Laurent Banide, who has previously managed the Monaco men’s side on two occasions.

The squad itself is also much-changed. Monaco have added seven recruits, which has reinforced a strong side that almost secured promotion last season, beofre faltering at the final hurdle in the promotion play-off against former professional side Toulouse.

The star recruit is undoutedly Marina Makanza, the former Marseille and Montpellier attacker, who has been capped 15 times by the French national team.

She opened her account on the first gameweek of the season. Her penalty added to an early goal from Moeko Morse. A Léa Malaret double completed the scoring against Toulon to secure the comfortable 4-0 victory.

Monaco go second in the table; their result was bettered only by AS Cannes, who beat FCF Monteux Vaucluse 5-0. Last season, Monaco went unbeaten in the regular championship, and they will be hoping to match that record this year. Unlike last year, there are no play-offs and the first-placed side will be automatically promoted. Hoping to maintain their record, AS Monaco Women will next face Tarascon next weekend.

 

 

Photo source: AS Monaco Women

 

 

 

Monaco cap perfect week with victory

by: Luke Entwistle
12/09/2022

AS Monaco edged Olympique Lyonnais 2-1 at the Stade Louis II on Sunday evening to secure their third victory in the space of a week and significantly scale the Ligue 1 table.

Only a week ago, Philippe Clement’s side languished in 16th place in the Ligue 1 table, but by the end of their thrilling victory against Peter Bosz’s Lyon, they were up to seventh, and just two points behind their opponents on the night, who had enjoyed a blistering start to the season.

The context that surrounded the game makes the victory all the more impressive. Monaco were yet to win a game at the Stade Louis II this season in four attempts. Although there were admittedly mitigating circumstances for some of those results, notably some incredibly harsh red cards, the first victory of the season in front of the home fans was sorely needed.

As Clement told Monaco Life, “You mustn’t forget that this is the first time that we have played 11v11 in the championship at the Stade Louis II. I didn’t have any doubt in my mind about the fact that we hadn’t won at home.”

Preparation for the game was also difficult and put into sharp focus Sunday night’s achievement. Following their 1-0 win against Red Star Belgrade in Serbia, the team only arrived back in the Principality late on Friday and had one day to prepare.

Whilst there were some signs of fatigue in some players late-on, Monaco matched a more refreshed Lyon side’s energy.

The first-half of the tie was littered with half-chances. Lyon had their own chances, but the best fell to Monaco. Krépin Diatta hit the foot of the post with a swivelled volley and seconds later, Breel Embolo’s free header from eight yards out was straight at Anthony Lopes in the Lyon goal.

Although an entertaining game, there was a distinct lack of goals. That changed in the second-half. Monaco have greatly improved from direct set-pieces, and there was further evidence of that against Lyon.

Caio Henrique’s corner was well met by Benoît Badiashile, who had worked himself a free header and made no mistake with the finish. Monaco earned another set piece just minutes later and it was once again Henrique who found one of his centre-backs.

This time, his free-kick was met by Guillermo Maripán, who doubled Monaco’s lead. Half of Monaco’s goals this season have now come from set pieces, an area of Monaco’s game that has been under-exploited in recent times.

However, Lyon weren’t out of the game and launched a barrage on Monaco’s goal. Alexander Nübel, who had one of his finest games in a Monaco jersey had already saved brilliantly from Alexandre Lacazette and he was repeatedly called upon in the final moments.

The Bayern Munich loanee couldn’t do anything about Karl Toko Ekambi’s volley, but he secured the three points late on with a brilliant close-range stop from Moussa Dembélé, who looked destined to level the scores.

But Monaco held on to cap a perfect week. Mentally, they now look to have definitively consigned their Champions League play-off defeat to the past and their rapid ascent up the table is a manifestation of that. They next face Ferencvaros in Monaco on Thursday before travelling to Reims on Sunday.

 

Photo by Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life