The FFBB refuses the commitment of AS Monaco in Nationale 1

New blow. The French Basketball Federation (FFBB) on Saturday declared its refusal to enter AS Monaco in Nationale 1, considering that it did not have “sufficient guarantees” to allow the reigning French champion to join the third division.

The federal office indicates “to follow the unfavorable opinion of the Management Control Commission”, plunging the Monegasque club a little further into doubt after its exclusion from the professional championships (Elite 1 and 2) for economic reasons.

The opinion of the CCG “notes in particular that the club was not able to put together a file justifying the sincerity and reliability of the financial situation of the company”, we can also read in the press release published on Saturday. The FFBB concluded that no “derogatory measure” could be justified “without undermining the integrity and fairness” of its competitions.

This refusal marks yet another setback for the Principality club, three times champion of France over the past decade and finalist in the Euroleague in 2025 but which continues to sink despite a desire to rebuild a new project from Nationale 1 (NM1).

On September 1, the date of his departure from the professional world, Monaco indicated “initiating the rebuilding of its sporting, economic and societal project on solid and lasting foundations”.

According to a source with knowledge of the matter, Monaco's forecast budget was to be between 4 and 5 million euros, the upper range of a club playing in Nationale 1. And this thanks in particular to the entry into the capital of a new European investor. The NM1 championship should in any case start on the scheduled date, September 18.