Francesco Farioli on Ajax crisis: “It was impossible to work” | OneFootball

In statements to ESPN, Francesco Farioli spoke about the period in which he coached Ajax, highlighting the structural problems within the club.

Before moving to FC Porto, Francesco Farioli endured an unhappy spell at Ajax, seeing the title slip away after holding a nine-point lead at the top of the Eredivisie with five matches remaining. In an interview with ESPN, the Italian coach analyzed the factors that ultimately affected his work on the bench:

“We are talking about a huge club, with many internal political struggles. To be honest, I believe that, this way, it is not easy to move forward and that will not help Ajax become competitive again.”

“Too many decisions within the club are made by people who are not really involved in football. That slows everything down significantly. In my view, it was impossible to work under those circumstances. (…) Together with the people who were close to me, I realized how difficult it was to maintain a good connection within such a big club”.

In 2025/26, Ajax finished the Eredivisie in 5th place, marking a fourth consecutive season without winning any titles. As a result, the Dutch club will compete in the Conference League next season.

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