Football isn’t the most important thing in life, unless you’re Ajax coach Francesco Farioli.
The Italian is in his first season in the Eredivisie and receiving good reviews, however, his latest call has certainly split opinion.
Speaking after a 2-1 defeat to AZ, Farioli informed the media that he won’t be travelling back to Italy for the birth of his second child.
The 35-year-old and his wife Agata Alonzo are expecting a boy after their daughter Lea, but Farioli won’t be there to welcome his new son, deeming home ties against Lazio and Almere more important.
“I will indeed become a father for the second time, although we don’t know when yet,” he said.
“But I will simply stay here in the Netherlands, with my players. I will travel to Italy later, but for now I am still here.
“I have my obligations as a father and as a coach, but I will do my best to manage that.”
Perhaps expecting praise from the locals, Farioli seems to have more often than not got criticism for the call.
Speaking to AD, former long-time Eredivisie coach turned pundit, Gertjan Verbeek, said: “Nobody is indispensable. Not even a trainer. If you are sick, you sometimes don’t stand on the touchline for one or two days.
“There is no right or wrong. But I do believe that there are more important things in life than football.”
Legendary coach Huub Stevens agreed, adding: “People come first. A player is ultimately more of a person than a footballer.
“Don’t forget: if someone doubts if they made the right choice, he is actually less focused on the match. ‘Go home,’ I would say.”
Farioli has since addressed the reaction to his decision, and was surprised by the debate over it.
“Give me the opportunity to explain it,” he said before his side face Lazio in the Europa League.
“I’ve seen a lot of reactions and opinions. And that’s good, that’s part of the position I’m in. Last Sunday I was asked about the baby and my answer was clear. And today it won’t be any different.
“What I wanted to say on Sunday, but I didn’t quite manage to do that: we made this decision as a family a while ago.
“We decided together that it was best for my wife to go back to Italy. There she will be surrounded by family, who can help her with the last days. Because as you can imagine, we don’t know on which day the baby will come. So we wanted to create the safest environment.”
Farioli also revealed that he missed the birth of his first child, saying: “I was a coach in Turkey at the time. She was born on Thursday. We played on Sunday and on Monday morning at 7:00 I was with my wife.”
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