AS Monaco’s downsized project: from €12.5 million to €6-7 million ahead of CNOSF hearing

A few hours were enough to give a new dimension to the AS Monaco Basketball case. Tuesday morning, a few hours before the hearing before the CNOSF, Maître Xavier Le Cerf-Galle told Nice-Matin that the club wanted to build a budget of around 12.5 million euros for the 2026-2027 season. After two and a half hours of conciliation, the local newspaper now mentions a potential budget between 6 and 7 million euros.

This major revision further illustrates the uncertainty surrounding the French champion. Monaco claims to have cleared its historical debt and to have 5 million euros in identifiable resources, including 3.27 million already collected or documented. But no lead investor has yet been officially announced and the squad planned at the start of the summer has gradually scattered. Mathis Dossou-Yovo (6’9″, 25 years old), who had an agreement with ASM, notably signed with ASVEL, while the situation of Yakuba Ouattara or Joël Ayayi is still not clarified.

From 12.5 to 6-7 million euros for AS Monaco

The difference is considerable. Tuesday morning, Nice-Matin reported that the goal presented by the club’s lawyer, Maître Xavier Le Cerf-Galle, was to build a budget of around 12.5 million euros. A few hours later, after the conciliation hearing before the CNOSF, the same newspaper now mentions an amount between 6 and 7 million euros, including revenue already secured and revenue that could be secured during the season.

At this stage, Monaco claims to have about 5 million euros in identified resources, including precisely 3.27 million euros collected or documented, notably thanks to sponsorship and transfer fees.

Other revenue could be added during the year, including season tickets, commercial partnerships and various revenue linked to match operations. Several longtime partners would also reportedly be willing to continue their involvement if Monaco is ultimately allowed to play in Betclic ELITE. The scenario presented after the hearing is therefore significantly lower than the 12.5 million euros still being mentioned before it.

Monaco claims to have wiped out its debt

However, it is on another point that ASM mainly tried to convince the panel of conciliators: its debt. According to Nice-Matin, the club now claims to be “effectively free of debt” after the various debt write-offs made by its shareholders and longtime creditors.

At the end of the hearing, Maître Xavier Le Cerf-Galle defended this new financial situation.

“We presented with the utmost transparency the economic and financial situation of AS Monaco Basket, namely that of a club that no longer has systemic debt, whose financial situation has been cleaned up. And which already has 5 million euros in resources, including 3.3 million euros in documented resources from the start of the season”, he told Nice-Matin.

The lawyer therefore believes that Monaco can now move forward with a reduced payroll and a way of operating very different from that of recent seasons.

A roster to rebuild almost entirely

A possible reinstatement would, however, only solve part of Monaco’s problems. The club must also build its team just weeks before the start of Betclic ELITE. The most urgent thing would be to have a competitive base of locally trained players (JFL). Juhann Begarin (6’5″, 24 years old) is the last JFL player still under contract with ASM. Yakuba Ouattara (6’4″, 34 years old) has also been reported close to a return, while the names of Joël Ayayi and Axel Toupane are circulating as potential recruits.

On the other hand, Mathis Dossou-Yovo (6’9″, 25 years old) will not be coming. The French big man had an agreement with Monaco, but the uncertainty surrounding the club’s future had reopened discussions with ASVEL. His signing with Villeurbanne was made official this Monday, August 24.

Monaco may therefore have to build most of its roster in an extremely short timeframe if its participation is ultimately approved.

The CNOSF’s recommendation expected Wednesday or Thursday

Tuesday’s hearing began at 2 p.m. and ended around 4:30 p.m., attended notably by CEO Oleksiy Yefimov and Maître Xavier Le Cerf-Galle. The CNOSF must now issue its recommendation on Wednesday, August 26 or Thursday, August 27, still according to Nice-Matin.

A favorable recommendation would not directly guarantee participation in Betclic ELITE. Monaco hopes it will lead the FFBB to send its new file back to the DNCCG so that it can examine the financial guarantees now provided.

A month before the start of the championship, ASM thus finds itself facing a double challenge: obtaining the right to take part in the 2026-2027 season and then rebuilding, almost entirely, a team now sized for a budget well below the one envisioned at the start of summer.

Who will play in Betclic ELITE in 2026-2027?