Unsportsmanlike conduct, breaches of financial rules and excessive fireworks from fans – many top clubs have had to dig deep into their pockets to pay more fines than they would have liked.
However, it is currently particularly expensive for French first division club Monaco. This has to do with the head coach, but not with his salary, quite the opposite: because Sébastien Pocognoli has been missing week after week since October 2025, the club has to pay the price.
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The reason: Poconioli does not yet have a professional coaching license. He is still training and is expected to receive his license in the summer.
This is against French football rules, as every national league or cup match must appoint a suitably licensed head coach. Therefore, according to L’Equipe, Monaco will have to pay a fine of 25,000 euros per game in his absence.
Particularly curious: the club was well aware that they would receive this fine and apparently found a solution. Poconoli’s assistant coach Damien Perrinelle was supposed to be officially included in the match report. He received a pay rise as a result and was named head coach for the October game against Toulouse.
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However, this did not save Monaco from a hefty fine. It turns out he didn’t have the necessary license either. According to reports, the head coaching position on the official match roster has since remained vacant.
Poccagnoli made a total of 17 appearances in national competitions as coach and was fined €425,000. If he stays until the end of the season, this fee will increase to 750,000 euros.
📸 VALERY HACHE – AFP or licensor
But if Monaco spends that much money, then the 38-year-old must be worth it, right? Think again. In Ligue 1, the team won only four games under his leadership and ranked tenth in the standings.
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Many fans are already wondering what prompted the club to not only accept his hefty fine but settle for a mediocre league position.
This article was translated into English by artificial intelligence. You can read the original version of 🇩🇪 here.