AS Monaco FC

The Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club is a Monegasque football club, founded in 1924. They became a professional club after 1948. Although the club is in Monaco, it has always competed in the French football structure. For this reason, it has always been regarded with a certain suspicion by a segment of the French population. Some, like former Olympique Marseille president, have hinted that Monaco should not be allowed to use its income-tax exemption as it gives it an unfair advantage by effectively adding an extra one-third to A.S. Monaco's budget.

Related Topics:
Monegasque - Football - 1924 - 1948 - French - Olympique Marseille

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AS Monaco is sometimes derided for its relatively low number of spectators (10,394 average for the 2003/2004 season). However, taking into account the city's population of 30,000 and that it competes with Nice's team (300,000 inhabitants) OGC Nice 20 km nearby, Monaco as a city has one of the highest spectator/inhabitant ratios in France.

Related Topics:
Nice - OGC Nice

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AS Monaco's home ground is Stade Louis II, an all-seater with a capacity of 18,500 in the Fontvieille section of Monaco. The stadium, as well as the Fontvieille district, was built entirely on land reclaimed from the Mediterranean Sea. This small but glamorous looking stadium is often used to host the European Supercup at the start of the season, featuring the winner of the Champions League and the winner of the UEFA Cup.

Related Topics:
Stade Louis II - Fontvieille - Mediterranean Sea - European Supercup - Champions League - UEFA Cup

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Monaco were shock finalists in the UEFA Champions League in 2004, impressively beating the likes of Real Madrid and Chelsea along the way there, but they were defeated by FC Porto in the final, losing the match 3-0. This remains Monaco's greatest achievement so far in Europe, but this season in 2005 Monaco were beaten in the 3rd qualifying round stage by Real Betis. They have since continued recent good form and secured a place in the Group Stage for the 2006 UEFA CUP tournament, with a victorious home/away fixture over Dutch side Willem II of Tillburg.

Related Topics:
UEFA Champions League - 2004 - Real Madrid - Chelsea - FC Porto - 2005 - Real Betis - UEFA CUP - Willem II

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