AS Monaco Basket: the financial regulator brings down the champion

From the summit to the abyss: the timeline of a fall

Dizziness began in early July. The DNCCG, financial watchdog of the LNB, refuses Monaco's commitment in Betclic Élite as well as Élite 2 for 2026-2027. Reason: economic viability guarantees deemed insufficient.

The rest resembles a free fall. End of July, the appeal chamber of the FFBB confirms the refusal. End of August, conciliation before the CNOSF ends quickly despite several takeover projects, including one led by former NBA player Jamal Mashburn. The opinion remains unfavorable.

The last step falls in early September, when the Federal Bureau refuses to reopen the case. Immediately after, Saint-Quentin takes the Betclic Élite spot and Fos-sur-Mer can apply for Élite 2. The reigning French champion finds itself outside the professional world.

So, who inherits Monaco's place in EuroCup?

Relegated from EuroLeague to EuroCup in June 2026 after five consecutive seasons at the top, Monaco was supposed to start in group D. The French fall swept everything away. On September 1, Euroleague Basketball declared the club ineligible: no national first division, no EuroCup.

The spot did not remain empty long. Bosna Sarajevo was invited for one season and returns to the competition nearly 19 years after its last appearance. The Bosnian club joins group D, alongside Bahçesehir, Manresa, and PAOK, with a first match scheduled for September 30. The Adriatic League option, once explored by Monaco, had no chance once the exclusion was confirmed.

From EuroLeague to Nationale 1

Rather than leaving the system, the Roca Team chooses to dive back in at the bottom. On September 1, the club submits a bid for Nationale Masculine 1, the third semi-professional level of French basketball. The stated goal: to restart on sound bases and climb the ranks through the court.

The contrast is dizzying. Only one player from the pro roster is still under contract, Juhann Begarin, announced as leaving for a European level. The club would largely rely on young players from the Espoir center, with a projected budget around 4 to 5 million euros and an anonymous European investor who would maintain his intention to acquire 98% of the shares.

The N1 season starts on September 18. The club's lawyer, Me Xavier Le Cerf-Galle, indicates that the file is submitted and a response from the FFBB is expected within the week. The countdown is on for the landing.

An isolated fall or a signal for French basketball?

The trajectory questions an entire ecosystem. A club capable of playing an EuroLeague final can find itself in the third division within weeks, due to lack of financial guarantees. Management control held its line to the end, with no exception for the reigning champion.

Only the court remains, the sole judge that does not cheat. The Roca Team has experienced the rarefied air of European heights. It will now have to prove, game after game, that it can also climb back up. Reconstruction is not told in press releases: it is won rung by rung.