AS Monaco’s ultimate hopes of obtaining a commitment in National 1 definitely vanished this Friday. The CNOSF confirmed the unfavorable opinion of the French Basketball Federation, plunging the 2026 French champions toward the loss of their professional status and a possible liquidation.

The decision was unfortunately expected. This Friday, the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF), the conciliation body, confirmed the unfavorable opinion of the French Basketball Federation, issued on Saturday, September 12, regarding AS Monaco’s commitment in National 1, the third tier of French basketball.

Unless a final appeal to the Administrative Court, the 2026 French champion club thus appears doomed to lose its professional status. The joint-stock company is heading toward liquidation.

This outcome comes after several unfavorable decisions concerning the sporting future of AS Monaco. The French Basketball Federation had already refused the club’s commitment in National 1. The appeal before the CNOSF was then one of the last possibilities to obtain a place in the third division.

The conciliator’s decision now closes this avenue. A possible appeal to the Administrative Court constitutes the last legal lever mentioned at this stage.

This situation comes just a few months after a 2025-2026 season concluded with four titles won in France by the Roca Team. The club now finds itself without a commitment in professional championships and without a validated solution to join National 1, whose championship starts tonight. It was therefore difficult to imagine a positive turnaround in just a few hours after weeks of battle on the legal front. For now, the club has still not reacted to this announcement.

“We’re losing a locomotive”: Philippe Ausseur reacts to Monaco’s absence

The situation of AS Monaco Basketball is also prompting a reaction within the National Basketball League. Its president Philippe Ausseur expressed regret to the AFP over the announced disappearance of the club from French professional basketball. “We can only be disappointed, as with the disappearance of Le Portel, a stronghold of basketball. With Monaco, we’re losing a locomotive. After that, we can criticize what this locomotive was, and the League did not refrain from doing so. I had said (during last season) that the team was magnificent but that Monaco was not holding up in terms of governance, its economic and administrative model. »

When asked about the four titles won during the 2025-2026 season, Philippe Ausseur believes that the phrase “titles on credit” would be inaccurate. “Monaco at the end of the season settled all its debts, to the League, its suppliers and players. In any case the official salaries, validated by the League. Through the help of the Monégasque State, but when we say ‘titles on credit’, we are wrong. And if the club is liquidated, if it cannot be registered in the championship, it is not because it is caught up by its debts.”

The LNB president also returns to the role of the National Management Control Board (DNCCG): “I don’t think you can say that the League and the DNCCG were deceived. They subscribed to a form of recurrence: that the previous context would continue (that owner Aleksej Fedoricsev would be able to cover debts as in previous seasons, Editor’s note). However, Mr. Fedoricsev was no longer able to pay due to an unforeseen circumstance.”

Philippe Ausseur believes this situation led the DNCCG to strengthen its financial requirements. “Now it is necessary that all or part of the funds be there, or that there be a bank guarantee of such solidity that it amounts to the same thing.” The LNB president also acknowledges announcing too early that Monaco was saved, before the federal appeals chamber’s decision. For the National Basketball League, Monaco’s disappearance from French professional basketball comes as the LNB wishes to continue its development. Philippe Ausseur notably highlights attendance figures, sponsorship revenues and the financial situation of several clubs.