Like many players who reach the back end of their 30s, former West Bromwich Albion and Brighton defender Sebastien Pocognoli moved into the dugout after hanging up his boots in 2021.
The former Belgian international made more than 350 senior appearances as a player, which included a two-and-a-half year stint in England, initially signing for West Brom from Hannover 96 in July 2014 for a fee of £1.5 million.
A loan spell to the Seagulls followed two years later, before he returned to his former club Standard Liege upon the expiration of his contract in 2017.
Pocognoli’s costly appointment
Pocognoli’s playing career ended with a season at Union SG during the 2020/21 campaign, after which the team hired him to coach their under-21s side.
Spells with Genk’s under-18s team and the Belgium under-18s national side then followed, with the former Baggies star earning his first senior head coach role when he returned to Union SG in 2024.
The 13-time Belgium international quickly vindicated Union SG’s faith as he led the team to their first league title for 90 years in his debut season as a manager and Pocognoli would soon find himself labelled as one of Europe’s most promising young coaches.
This put him on the radar of Ligue 1 side Monaco, who moved to appoint Pocognoli following the departure of Adi Hutter in October, who had endured a tough start ot the season and had won just one of their previous five matches.
Pocognoli left a Union SG side that was sitting at the top of the Belgian league, with the Monaco hierarchy also prepared to put their money where their mouth was when it came to their new man.
That’s because, according to French outlet L’Equipe, Pocognoli does not have the requisite qualification to coach in Ligue 1 and will therefore incur Monaco a €25,000 fine every time he coaches them.
French regulations dictate that a qualified coach must be named for any domestic league or cup match and failure to do so will see a fine issued. Pocognoli is currently studying for his professional coaching qualifications, but is not due to acquire them until the summer.
This has meant Monaco have left the head coach position blank on official team sheets for the 17 games (14 league matches and three cup games) in which Pocognoli has presided over, which means the fines have so far clocked up to €425,000.
Should this continue for the rest of the season, Monaco will have been fined a total of €750,000 by the French authorities.
Monaco currently sit eighth in the Ligue 1 table, with Pocognoli having won four of the 14 league matches his side have played.
