From Stepping Down at Ajax to Unbeaten at Porto – How This Manager Has Turned it All Around

From Stepping Down at Ajax to Unbeaten at Porto – How This Manager Has Turned it All Around

Football Blog

From Stepping Down at Ajax to Unbeaten at Porto – How This Manager Has Turned it All Around

The sacking of a manager in the volatile era of modern football is a common occurrence. In fact, often all it takes is a minor run of subpar results for a job to be placed under intense scrutiny.

But on a rare occasion, managers don't lose their job by being made redundant and instead step away from their role at the helm of a club.

And when one of football's most exciting young managers, Francesco Farioli, ended what many expected to be a blossoming tenure at Dutch giants Ajax just last summer in that exact manner, many wondered what was next.

Coming back from such a chaotic reign is often a grimy uphill battle and one that takes years to conquer, but what has actually unfolded is one of the most interesting comeback stories football has seen.


From Nice to Ajax: A Rollercoaster Journey

Farioli learnt his managerial trade under the guidance of Marseille's Roberto De Zerbi as his goalkeeping coach at both Sassuolo and Benevento in Italy.

His first actual managerial role came in the form of Turkish club Alanyaspor, where he stayed for just over a year before leaving by mutual consent in early 2023.

This then led into a step up in job with a move to Ligue 1 occupiers Nice, where he showed his class, leading them to a first-ever European qualification in a 5th-place finish.

Once again, as you might expect, Farioli had options on the table with a multitude of clubs sniffing around for his signature.

All of this attention meant the Italian decided another new job was the best move for him, and he picked up the slack at Ajax in May 2024, looking to further impose himself as one of the most exciting young managers in the world.

What followed was one of the most turbulent seasons in Ajax's history, which saw a chaotic title race, in which Ajax lost out on the final day to PSV Eindhoven.