The club issued an official statement stating: “Fiorentina announces that Stefano Pioli has been relieved of his duties as coach of the first team,” and the statement added: “The club would like to thank the coach and his technical staff for the professionalism they showed during their time with Fiorentina.”
The statement indicated that “Galoppa”, the coach of the under-20 youth team, will begin his duties in leading the team on a temporary basis, starting with this evening’s training.
The dismissal decision comes after a series of unsatisfactory results, which led to Fiorentina’s decline to 20th place in the Italian league standings, as the team was unable to achieve any victory in the first 10 matches of the season.
“Pioli” returned to the “Artemio Franchi” stadium last summer, and signed a three-year contract, but the team’s poor start in the league put his future on the line, especially after the loss at home against Lecce by a clean goal, which prompted the club’s management to take the decision to dismiss him after the coach refused to resign.
Despite the fluctuating performance in the local league, the team performed well in the European Conference League, where it won its first two matches in the competition, but that did not save Pioli in light of the deteriorating situation in “Calcio”.
“Galoppa” is expected to lead the team in the upcoming match in the European Conference League against Mainz, scheduled for next Thursday.
According to the “Football Italia” website, the Fiorentina management has already started initial talks with “Paolo Vanoli”, but the strongest candidate to take over the task permanently is “Roberto D’Aversa”.
“Stefano Pioli”: The journey of an Italian coach who combined calmness and discipline.
“Stefano Pioli” is considered one of the prominent Italian coaches in the last two decades, as he succeeded in leaving a clear mark in many clubs inside Italy, thanks to his balanced tactical style and his calm personality that combines firmness and calmness.
“Pioli” was born in the Italian city of Parma in 1965, and began his career in the world of football as a player in the center of defense before turning to coaching after retiring from playing.
“Pioli” began his professional career as a player in the ranks of Parma Club in the early eighties, but he quickly caught the attention of big clubs to move to Juventus, where he played alongside great stars such as “Michel Platini” and “Antonio Cabrini”.
Although his period in Turin was not long, it gave him great experience in dealing with pressure and competition at the highest levels.
Later, he wore the shirts of a number of other clubs such as Fiorentina and Hellas Verona, before retiring from playing in the mid-nineties.
After the end of his career as a player, “Pioli” turned to coaching quickly, and began his technical career in the youth teams of Bologna Club, where he showed his skills in developing young players and organizing defensive plans.
Over the years, he began to take responsibility for coaching teams in the lower divisions of the Italian league, such as Salernitana and Piacenza, before getting his first real opportunity in the first division with Parma Club in 2006.
“Pioli” then moved between several clubs in Calcio, including Chievo, Palermo, Bologna and Lazio, where he achieved good results with the latter in the 2014-2015 season and led the team to occupy third place in the Italian league, which allowed him to participate in the qualifying rounds for the Champions League.
That period was characterized by a flexible offensive style of play that depended on speed in the transition from defense to attack, which made his name resonate among the big clubs.
At the end of 2016, “Pioli” took over the coaching of Inter Milan, in an experience that did not last long, but it gave him experience in managing stars and dealing with the great pressure in popular clubs.
After that, he moved to Fiorentina, where he enjoyed a special love from the club’s fans because of his balanced personality and his wonderful human treatment, especially during the difficult period that the team went through after the death of its captain “Davide Astori” in 2018, where “Pioli” played an important role in calming the atmosphere and containing the players.
But the most important moment in his career was when he took over the leadership of Milan in October / November 2019, where he led a real revolution that brought “Rossoneri” back to the forefront after years of absence.
“Pioli” was able to build a young and balanced team, based on collective play and high pressing, and led Milan to win the Italian league title in the 2021-2022 season after an absence of 11 years, to gain great appreciation from the fans and the club’s management.
Despite the subsequent periods of decline with Milan and in his Saudi experience with Al-Nasr, “Pioli” remained an example of the hardworking Italian coach who relies on discipline and teamwork more than big names.
“Pioli” was also famous for his ability to develop young talents, such as “Rafael Leao” and “Theo Hernandez”, and turn them into essential elements in the Milan project.
In 2025, “Pioli” returned to Fiorentina in an attempt to restore stability to the team, but the negative results in the Italian league led to his dismissal from his position early.
