Ajax’s 2-0 victory over FC Twente was not enough to prevent an unprecedented title collapse.
Ajax coach Francesco Farioli has stated that he has no regrets despite his team finishing as runners-up in the Eredivisie, in one of the biggest collapses in the history of the competition.
Ajax ended their winless streak with a 2-0 home victory against FC Twente, although this was not enough to stop their rival, PSV Eindhoven, who were crowned Eredivisie champions after winning 3-1 against Sparta Rotterdam.
This result gave Ajax an unwanted record in the history of European football: never had a team failed to win the league having a nine-point lead with five games remaining.
Farioli, 36, was visibly emotional in the post-match press conference and had to take several pauses to compose himself while trying to assimilate the mixed emotions of how the season unfolded.
It’s a very hard lesson to learn and it is what it is. I have no regrets.
Francesco Farioli
Farioli arrived at Ajax last June and took the reins of the team after they finished fifth in the 2023-24 season. They were clear favorites to secure their 37th Eredivisie title with that big advantage heading into the last five matches of the season, but they only added two points in their next four matches, allowing PSV to return to the fight.
Farioli added: “Let’s start by congratulating PSV. They definitely deserved to be where they are. We did everything we could to compete and gave everything we had in our capabilities.”
Farioli did not commit to his future at Ajax. He has two years left on his contract, but he has been linked with positions in Serie A.
When asked about his future, Farioli said: “Today is about this group of players. There will be no discussion about anything that gets in the way.”
Farioli was proud of the players, as they finished second in the Eredivisie and were very close to PSV.
He was asked what the atmosphere was like in the Ajax dressing room and he replied: “Emotions, many emotions, as you can imagine. There is sadness and that gives perspective to what we have done”.
Farioli was visibly emotional as he toured the Johan Cruyff Arena at the end of the match. He said that they were the emotions of “a person, above all” and of a person “who tried to give everything I have inside with love and dedication”.
He added: “I felt with all the people who accompanied me, the staff and the players, that there was nothing left that we could give. Today I feel that the tank is empty. I asked the players to leave everything on the field. We tried everything and sometimes everything is not enough.”
