Monaco

Monaco is a football (soccer) club from France.

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The Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club is a Monaco football (soccer) club founded in 1924. They became a professional club after 1948. Although Monaco is in Monaco, it has always competed in the France football structure. It is one of the most successful clubs in French football, with seven league titles and five French Cup titles. It has also had some successful campaigns in Europe, including a run to the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final of the UEFA Champions League, in 2004, but it has not won a European competition.

Monaco were shock finalists in the UEFA Champions League in UEFA Champions League 2003-04, impressively beating the likes of Real Madrid and Chelsea F.C. along the way, but they were defeated by FC Porto in the final, losing the match 3-0. While this remains Monaco's greatest achievement so far in Europe, in 2005 Monaco was beaten in the UEFA Champions League 2005-06 by Real Betis. They have since continued recent good form and secured a place in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup 2005-06 vs. Basel after having won the Group Stage tournament (group including Hamburger SV, PFC CSKA Sofia, SK Slavia Praha and Viking F.K.), after a victorious home/away fixture over Dutch side Willem II Tilburg.

The quality of Monaco declined following Monaco's spectacular 2003/2004 season, and recent years have been disappointing for both fans and management. In April 2008, chairman Michel Pastor resigned from his position. Jerome de Bontin, until then administrator, became the head of Monaco with brand new policies of trusting the young players issued from the club, trying to attract foreign investors and, for the first time in a while, retaining the coach for the next season.

History

The AS Monaco was created on August 1, 1919 with the union of several area clubs. The story began in the regional district of the PACA region during the 1920’s when Monaco rose to the upper regional leagues.
In 1933, Monaco was invited by the French league to become a professional club. However, the Monegasque’s year in second division was a failure; they were back to an amateur level the next year.

In 1948, AS Monaco reacquired its professional status by returning to the French Second Division. Monoco consistently finished in the upper part of the Second Division and in 1953 was promoted to the French First Division.

In 1960, AS Monaco and its iconic coach Lucien Leduc won its first professional trophy, the French Cup. The following year, Monaco became the French Champion for the first time of its history and, having won the French League Cup, qualified to play the European C2 the next year.
Monaco won another French champion title in 1963 with coach Leduc and Chairman Antoine Romagnan.

During the next decade, Monaco stayed in the middle of the league until 1969, when it began alternating between the first and the second divisions until 1976.

In 1975, president Jean-Louis Campora, son of Charles Campora, former president of Monaco in the 1950’s, became the head of the club. For his second season, he brought back coach Lucien Leduc, who immediately won promotion to the first division, and won the French championship the next year.
Campora’s presidency earned 5 French championships, several national cups and constant participation in European cups. Famous coaches and players came to Monaco during this period, which ended following the last title in 2000, after which there were some management mistakes and rumours that Monaco was in financial difficulty.

After he failed to bring new investors to the club, Jean-Louis Campora left Monaco in 2003 with Monaco threatened with relegation into the second division because of a huge deficit.

For the 2003/2004 season, President Pierre Svara took charge of Monaco as a transitional president. This is the year Monaco reached the final of the UEFA Champions League with well known players such as Fernando Morientes, Ludovic Giuly, Jerome Rothen and Dado Prso. However, even though the results were excellent, Michel Pastor replaced Pierre Svara at the end of the year.

The first of Pastor’s tasks in taking over Monaco was trying to hold onto players who had turned Monaco into one of the best in Europe. However, he failed to convince them to stay and the replacements for the Monegasque heroes were not as good as expected.
After 4 years, 6 coaches and nothing better than mid-table finishes, Michel Pastor left Monaco after severe criticism regarding his management skills.

In 2008, Jerome de Bontin, shareholder since 2003, took charge of Monaco and set about a major reorganization of the administrative staff. He took responsibility for the club’s actions in the transfer market, ceasing Pastor’s policy of offering older players a final pay day in Monaco, and instead looked towards younger foreign talent and in particular those playing in the United States, with highly rated Freddy Adu joining on loan.

Facilities

The quality of the pitch has been a major issue with Stade Louis-II, because it is built above a large car park and other stadium facilities. The pitch has been changed several times during the last few years.

At the beginning of season 2008/2009, two large screens have been installed, one replacing an older screen and the other new one installed in the opposite side of the stadium.

AS Monaco players have their facilities in the town of La Turbie, in France. The newly built training center offers a brand new gym, pool, and conference center.

Honours

- Ligue 1
- - Winners (7): French football Division 1 1960-61, 1963, 1978, 1982, 1988, 1997, 2000

- Coupe de France
- - Winners (5): 1960, 1963, 1980, 1985, 1991

- Coupe de la Ligue
- - Winners (1): 2003

- Trophée des champions
- - Winners (4): 1961, 1985, 1997, 2000
- Coupe Gambardella
- - Winners (2): 1962, 1972
- UEFA Champions League
- - Runners-up (1): UEFA Champions League 2003–04
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
- - Runners-up (1): European Cup Winners' Cup 1991–92
- Coppa delle Alpi
- - Winners (3): 1979, 1983, 1984

European Record

As of February 1, 2009

Players on Loan

Notable Personality

Notable Players

Notable Players trained at club

Notable non-players

Players Records

Managerial history

Chairmen

- Étienne Boeri : 1948-1951
- R. F. Medecin : 1951-1953
- J. Fissore : 1953-1954
- Charles Campora : 1954-1955
- R. F. Medecin : 1955-1957
- Charles Campora : 1957-1959
- Antoine Romagnan : 1959-1963
- Max Principale : 1963-1968
- E. Aubert : 1968-1969
- Henry Rey : 1969-1972
- H. Orengo : 1972-1974
- H. Corvetto : 1947-1975
- Jean-Louis Campora : 1975-2003
- Pierre Svara : 2003-2004
- Michel Pastor : 2004-2008
- Jérôme de Bontin : 2008-2009
- Etienne Franzi : 2009-

Coaches
- Jean Batmale :1948-1950
- Elek Schwartz :1950-1952
- Angelo Grizzetti :1952-1953
- Ludwic Dupal :1953-1956
- Anton Marek :1956-1957
- Louis Pirroni :1957-1958
- Lucien Leduc :1958-1963
- Roger Courtois :1963-1965
- Louis Pirroni :1965-1966
- Pierre Sinibaldi :1966-1969
- Louis Pirroni :1969-1970
- Robert Domergue :1969-1970
- Jean Luciano :1970-1972
- Ruben Bravo :1972-1974
- Alberto Muro :1974-1975
- Armand Forcherio :1976
- Lucien Leduc :1977-1979
- Gérard Banide :1979-1983
- Lucien Muller :1983-1986
- Stefan Kovacs: 1986-1987
- Arsène Wenger : 1987-1995
- Jean-Luc Ettori : 1995-1995
- Gérard Banide : 1995
- Jean Tigana : 1995-1999
- Claude Puel : 1999-2001
- Didier Deschamps : 2001-2005
- Francesco Guidolin : 2005-2006
- László Bölöni : 2006
- Laurent Banide : 2006-2007
- Ricardo Gomes : 2007-2009
- Guy Lacombe : 2009-

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