AS Monaco Basketball dissolves after financial collapse

“Today is a sad day.” With these words, AS Monaco Basket confirmed what had been brewing for months: the dissolution of an entity that revolutionized French basketball in just over ten years. The official statement opens the door to a future restructuring, but the project that rose from modest categories to compete in the top European competitions has come to an end.

The speed of the fall is devastating. Last June, the team from the Principality closed a perfect season in France, winning the league, the Cup, and the Leaders Cup. Just four months later, in January 2025, the club has no team or competitive structure. This collapse is not a result of chance, but of an almost total dependency on a single sponsor.

The Fragility of a Monocolor Project

AS Monaco was financially sustained by the money of its owner, Aleksej Fedorychev, whose business group mainly operates in Ukraine. When the war impacted his businesses, the income supporting the club disappeared. Without an administrative structure or established alternative income, the entity found itself without resources.

During the 2025-26 season, the government of the Principality had to intervene urgently, lending money so the club could complete the season and pay its salaries until June 30. However, this stopgap measure was not enough to halt the deterioration. From that moment on, everything unraveled.

In July, the financial regulatory body of French basketball denied the registration of AS Monaco in the Betclic Élite due to a lack of financial guarantees. The appeals made did not succeed, despite potential buyers showing interest in rescuing the entity. On September 1, EuroLeague Basketball expelled it from the EuroCup for failing to meet regulatory requirements, granting its spot to Bosna of Sarajevo. The following day, its administrative relegation to the third tier of French basketball was confirmed.

An Exceptional Record in Just Twelve Years

Despite the brevity of the project, AS Monaco Basket accumulated an extraordinary record. In Spanish football, this would be unthinkable, but in French basketball, its legacy is monumental. The club won three French leagues (2023, 2024, and 2026), two French Cups (2023 and 2026), four Leaders Cups (2016, 2017, 2018, and 2026), and a SuperCup in 2025. Before conquering Europe, it was crowned champion of Pro B in 2015.

Its foray into EuroLeague spanned five seasons in which the team reached two Final Fours and the final in 2025, becoming the first team from the Principality to play in a European final in a team sport. It won the EuroCup in 2021, its first continental title. Additionally, it was four times runner-up in France and a finalist in the Basketball Champions League in 2018. For a project that started in the second division, these numbers are almost unbelievable.

The Dispersal of the Stars

The consequences of the collapse are reflected in how the roster has spread across Europe. Mike James, the top scorer in the history of EuroLeague, signed with Turkish Anadolu Efes. Nikola Mirotic, who contemplated retirement during the summer, found refuge at Valencia Basket and has already become a key piece of the project. Yoan Makoundou, who left Monaco in the spring, is one of the eleven signings of FC Barcelona for this season.

These movements illustrate how the best talents who passed through the Principality have found homes in other prominent clubs, taking with them the experience accumulated over years of competitive success. Spanish football, with its superior economic resources, has captured some of that quality developed by AS Monaco.

Farewell to the Fans and the Hope of Resurgence

The official statement is more emotional than explanatory. The club bids farewell to its fans, whom it refers to as the “Roca family,” speaking of “a rest” and expressing hope of “finding a way toward restructuring and, someday, relaunching the project.” It insists that the greatest achievement was never a trophy, but the stands of the Gaston Médecin, a closing that resonates with the historic shout of the fans: “Daghe Munegu!”

Men's basketball in Monaco is now in the hands of the ASM Association, the grassroots structure of the club, whose first team competes in Nationale 3. The AS Monaco passes the baton to this entity, “with the hope that one day red and white will return to the highest level.” It is an ending that leaves the door open to a hypothetical future, but definitively closes a chapter of success that seemed unstoppable just a year ago.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, AS Monaco Basket se disuelve tras colapso financiero