Mathieu Warnier, Media365: published on Sunday February 8, 2026 at 9:15 a.m.
Although he is present in Italy for the Milan-Cortina Winter Games, Prince Albert II of Monaco is keeping an eye on the situation of the Principality’s basketball club, ensuring that he wants to intervene in the short term.
Monegasque sport is going through difficult times. While the football club is plunging in the Ligue 1 standings with just one league victory in 2026, against Rennes last weekend, the situation is not better in basketball. Indeed, the “Roca Team” remains on five defeats in a row in the Euroleague after the one conceded this Thursday on the floor of Bayern Munich but gives the change in Betclic Elite with a leading place despite the withdrawal of a victory by the National Basketball League for the non-payment of the “luxury tax” imposed due to a payroll exceeding eight and a half million euros. Beyond the sporting difficulties, AS Monaco Basket is also going through a financial storm.
The prince wants to “save the club’s season”
It is linked to the difficulties of its majority shareholder Aleksej Fedorycsev. To the point that, to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with unpaid salaries, Vassilis Spanoulis’ players this week threatened to strike this Sunday for the trip to Chalon-sur-Saône. A situation to which Prince Albert II of Monaco is very attentive, making no secret of the fact that “it is difficult”. Asked by RMC Sport on the sidelines of the Milan-Cortina Winter Games, the Monegasque sovereign assured that “discussions are underway” aimed at returning control of the club to the Principality before the arrival of a new majority shareholder. “I can’t tell you anything with certainty at least for now,” he added. We will do everything to at least try to save the club’s season. »
Strike threat averted
An intervention from the princely palace which, according to daily information The Team has already helped to calm things down within the “Roca Team” workforce. Indeed, the threat of strike has finally been lifted and the players will be present on the floor of the Colisée this Sunday. In addition, the National Basketball League (LNB) intervened from a financial point of view through the players’ union with the sum of 500,000 euros which was released in order to make up part of the unpaid salaries. The latter, however, assured that “out of respect for the public, for their sport and for the competition, the players had decided to play” against Elan Chalon this Sunday.
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