# Francesco Farioli

Francesco Farioli (Italian pronunciation:; born 10 April 1989) is an Italian professional football coach who is the head coach of Eredivisie club Ajax.
Farioli started his coaching career in Turkey with spells at Fatih Karagümrük and Alanyaspor. He then had one season in charge of French club Nice in Ligue 1 before being appointed by Ajax in May 2024.

## Career
### Early career

Farioli studied philosophy and later sports science at the University of Florence. He began his coaching career with Margine Coperta, a lower-division Italian football club, where he was goalkeeping coach from 2009 to 2011. He subsequently worked as a goalkeeping coach for Fortis Juventus and Lucchese in the Italian Serie C.
Farioli then joined the Aspire Academy in Qatar as a goalkeeping coach for the Qatar U16 national team. While at Aspire, he met Roberto De Zerbi and Jarkko Tuomisto.
He returned to Italy to work as the goalkeeping coach for Benevento under De Zerbi during the 2017-18 season. He then followed De Zerbi to Sassuolo, where he continued as goalkeeping coach from 2018 to 2020.

### Turkey

Farioli's first role as an assistant manager was with the Turkish Süper Lig club Alanyaspor for the 2020–21 season under manager Çağdaş Atan.
On 21 March 2021, he was appointed the head coach of Fatih Karagümrük, another Süper Lig club. At 31, he was one of the youngest managers in a professional European league.
Farioli implemented a possession-based style of play at Fatih Karagümrük, a significant departure from the more direct approach common in the Süper Lig. His team led the league in average possession (61.3%) and had the second-highest number of open-play passing sequences of 10 or more passes. This tactical approach garnered attention for its distinctiveness and effectiveness in a league known for its physical and transitional style. He managed Fatih Karagümrük until 12 December 2021.
On 31 December 2021, he returned to Alanyaspor, this time as head coach.

### Nice

On 30 June 2023, Farioli joined French Ligue 1 side Nice as manager, signing a two-year contract.
During his time at Nice, Farioli implemented a distinctive tactical system with influences from his previous mentor, Roberto De Zerbi, emphasizing possession-based football and a high defensive line. This approach led to a strong start to the 2023-24 Ligue 1 season, with Nice briefly challenging Paris Saint-Germain for the top spot in the league standings. Despite the initial success, Nice's form declined in the latter part of 2023, leading to questions about the sustainability of Farioli's tactics. In September 2023, Farioli obtained his UEFA Pro Licence, the highest coaching certification in European football.

### Ajax

On 23 May 2024, Farioli signed a three-year contract with Dutch club Ajax, becoming their first-ever Italian head coach. This appointment marked the first time Ajax had appointed a foreign manager since Morten Olsen in the 1997/1998 season.

## Tactics

Farioli's initial focus has been on implementing a possession-based style with an emphasis on quick passing and movement, incorporating a high defensive line and proactive pressing.

## Managerial statistics

    As of 16 March 2025
Managerial record by team and tenure :
| Team | Nat. | From | To | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record |
| Team | Nat. | From | To | G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
| Fatih Karagümrük | | 22 March 2021 | 16 December 2021 | 27 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 43 | 39 | +4 | 040.74 |
| Alanyaspor | | 31 December 2021 | 27 February 2023 | 48 | 20 | 12 | 16 | 82 | 76 | +6 | 041.67 |
| Nice | | 30 June 2023 | 23 May 2024 | 38 | 17 | 11 | 10 | 48 | 35 | +13 | 044.74 |
| Ajax | | 23 May 2024 | Present | 46 | 31 | 5 | 10 | 90 | 41 | +49 | 067.39 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 159 | 79 | 36 | 44 | 263 | 191 | +72 | 049.69 |