Francesco Farioli: “It’s a privilege to represent a club this big” | OneFootball

After FC Porto won the Super Cup, Francesco Farioli reflected on the responsibility of leading a club with a unique history. The Italian coach highlighted his relationship with the fans, the scale of the blue-and-white trophy haul, and the ability to adapt that he has gained throughout a career spent in several countries. As for the mission he has taken on, he summed it up as “a daily privilege.”

The trophy celebration does not, however, make Farioli forget the demands that come with the role. At the press conference, the FC Porto coach made it clear that representing the club goes far beyond preparing the team to compete.

Explaining how he views his duties, the coach placed his connection to the Porto world at the heart of his vision. For the Italian, a coach’s role does not end when the team leaves the pitch.

“My responsibility as FC Porto coach is different. I create a connection with the fans, with the club and with the people who run it,” he said. “In this context, it is not enough to deliver good training sessions on the pitch, that is only one part of the job. FC Porto is a huge club, a great institution with immense history.”

This perspective gives the role a broader dimension. Working with the team is only one element of a mission tied to the club’s identity, its memory and the people who follow it.

Farioli reinforced that idea when speaking about FC Porto’s history of success and the meaning of representing an institution with such a remarkable path.

“Winning 88 titles is an incredible achievement, which makes FC Porto the Portuguese club with the most trophies,” he stressed. “When we enter the Museum, we see all the trophies, national and international. Having the opportunity to represent a club of this size is a daily privilege and a great responsibility, because of FC Porto’s history and what the club means to its fans.”

In the coach’s view, the club’s honours list represents more than a source of pride. It also reflects the level of demand that accompanies the daily work, with the responsibility stemming from the need to honour a history built over time.

Asked about the path that led him to Portugal, Farioli recalled the different professional experiences he has had and the influence of each context on the way he works.

“Ten years ago I was in Qatar, then I went to Turkey, France, the Netherlands and now I am in Portugal, but I also worked in Italy in the meantime. Being able to work in so many countries, in so many contexts and at such different clubs, with such different demands and expectations, is very good for anyone who wants to embrace new professional challenges, because we are able to adapt to everything,” he explained. “It is possible to keep our ideas, but we are also flexible and able to adjust to needs.”

That international path allowed him to find a balance between staying true to his own convictions and the flexibility needed to respond to the characteristics of each reality. That ability to preserve an idea of the game while adapting it to circumstances is one of the main lessons he takes from his career.

The coach also spoke about the experience of working at clubs he considers part of the elite, stressing that those contexts represent a continuous opportunity for learning for everyone in the structure.

“When you start working at clubs the size of FC Porto and Ajax, you discover new aspects of the game and understand what it means to be the coach of an elite team. We are all improving, the coaching staff continues to grow and it has been an incredible experience.”

Between the demands imposed by history and the daily learning, Farioli presents his journey at FC Porto as a process of collective growth. For the coach, the club’s ambition is inevitably linked to the responsibility of representing an institution of this size.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.