Official: Farioli announces Ajax departure after one year – ‘Difference in principles’ – Football Italia

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – JANUARY 30: Head Coach Francesco Farioli of Ajax looks on following his teams 2-1 victory over Galatasaray in the UEFA Europa League 2024/25 League Phase MD8 match at Johan Cruijff Arena on January 30, 2025 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)

Italian tactician Francesco Farioli has announced that he will be leaving Dutch giants Ajax after just one season in charge at the end of the 2024-25 campaign. 

The 36-year-old head coach has informed Ajax, his staff and players that he will be leaving at the end of the 2024-25 campaign after just one season in charge, the club have confirmed in a statement published on Monday morning. 

Farioli claims that he and Ajax have the same ‘vision’ for the future, but that they have ‘different versions and timeframes about the way we should work and operate to achieve those goals’. 

Farioli and Ajax finished their 2024-25 season on Sunday with a 2-0 win against FC Twente thanks to goals from Jordan Henderson and Wout Weghorst. 

The result sealed their second-place finish in the Eredivisie with a tally of 78 from 34 matches, one point shy of eventual champions PSV Eindhoven on 79. 

Ajax’s finish in second place still comes as a disappointment given that they had a nine-point lead at the top of the Eredivisie table with five matches to go, only to suffer a 4-0 loss against Utrecht, a 1-1 draw against Sparta Rotterdam, a 3-0 loss against NEC and a 2-2 draw with Gronningen in four of their last five games of the season. 

Still, their second place finish means that Champions League football will return to the Johan Cruyff Arena in 2025-26, for the first time since the 2022-23 campaign. 

Farioli announces Ajax departure: ‘Difference in principles’ 

“My journey at Ajax started almost one year ago, at De Toekomst, with the aim of bringing Ajax back to where it belongs,” Farioli said in a statement published on the Ajax club website. 

“And it ended at the Johan Cruijff ArenA, finally bringing back Ajax to Champions League, the biggest stage of European football. We wanted to bring new energy to the whole Ajax community, sharing a positive way of working and thinking with the club at all levels.”

He continued: “Being Ajax first non-Dutch coach since 1998 and the club’s first-ever Italian one have been an absolute privilege: together with my staff we embraced this huge challenge with respect, responsibility, passion and determination to succeed. 

“Earning the respect and support from Ajax fans we felt throughout the whole season meant a lot for myself and my staff. We lived unbelievable and unforgettable moments all together: a unique, intense, emotional season in which we shared belief, fighting spirit and pride, finally achieving our goal, accomplishing our mission.”

“The management and I have the same goals for the future of Ajax, but we have different visions and timeframes about the way we should work and operate to achieve those goals. Given these differences in the principles and foundations of the project, I feel deep in my heart that this is the best moment to part ways.”

Farioli departure ‘incredibly disappointing’, says Ajax chief 

Ajax technical director Alex Kroes explained why he finds Farioli’s departure ‘incredibly disappointing’ 

“I find this incredibly disappointing. Francesco and his staff have been a great help to us. It’s been an intense season filled with many memorable moments, and we achieved our goal: qualifying for next season’s Champions League,” he explained in a statement. 

“Francesco also played a key role in enhancing the high-performance culture at Ajax, for which we are extremely grateful. This summer was already set to be a challenging transfer window, and it has now become even more so. It is up to us to ensure that a strong new coaching team is in place when pre-season preparations begin on 26 June.”