Fiorentina have terminated the contract of head coach Stefano Pioli with immediate effect, ending a roller-coaster second spell that promised revival but delivered only frustration. The 60-year-old Italian was relieved of his duties on Tuesday afternoon, less than 24 hours after a 2-0 home defeat to relegation-threatened Monza left the Viola languishing 15th in Serie A—nine points above the drop but a staggering 14 adrift of the European places.
Club president Rocco Commisso broke the news via an emotional video posted on the official Fiorentina channels, thanking Pioli for “his professionalism and love for the shirt” while insisting “a change is necessary to protect the future of this historic institution.” The decision caps a turbulent 14-month tenure that began with optimism last September but unravelled amid a toxic mix of injuries, tactical rigidity, and dressing-room unrest.
Pioli, who famously guided Fiorentina to the 2018-19 Europa League spots during his first stint (2017-2019), returned to the Artemio Franchi on a two-and-a-half-year deal after Raffaele Palladino’s brief, ill-fated reign. Early results hinted at stability: a fourth-place finish in his partial debut campaign and a Coppa Italia semi-final run that had the Curva Fiesole dreaming of silverware. Yet the 2025-26 season has been a nightmare—six defeats in 11 league matches, no away wins, and a humiliating 4-1 aggregate exit to Swiss minnows Lugano in the Conference League play-offs.
The final straw came under the Monday night lights against Monza. Goals from Dany Mota and a late Gianluca Caprari penalty exposed familiar frailties: a high line shredded on the counter, midfield overrun, and striker Moise Kean isolated once more. Pioli’s post-match admission that his players “looked lost” rang hollow to a fanbase that had already turned. Chants of “Pioli vaffa” echoed long after the final whistle, while purple smoke from flares shrouded a near-empty stadium by the 80th minute.
Insiders at the Viola Park training complex paint a picture of a squad divided. Senior figures—including captain Cristiano Biraghi and vice-president Nicolás González—reportedly grew frustrated with Pioli’s insistence on a 3-5-2 that left wing-backs exposed and creative talents like Riccardo Sottil benched. Training sessions had become tense, with one source describing “silent treatment in the canteen” after a 3-0 loss to Atalanta in October. Even the usually diplomatic Commisso let slip in a radio interview last week that “some choices have not been understood by the group.”
The numbers are brutal: Fiorentina have scored just eight league goals all season—fewer than bottom-side Cagliari—and conceded 19. Their expected goals (xG) differential sits at -7.3, the third-worst in the division. Pioli’s win percentage across both spells now stands at a modest 38%, a far cry from the 48% he managed at Milan, where he won the 2022 Scudetto.
Attention now turns to the dugout vacancy in one of Italian football’s most passionate cities. Early frontrunners include former Sassuolo boss Alessio Dionisi, whose proactive 4-2-3-1 could suit the squad’s technical profile, and a romantic return for Vincenzo Italiano—the architect of Fiorentina’s 2023 Europa Conference League final appearance. Club legend Gabriel Batistuta has publicly endorsed ex-Juventus midfielder Alberto Aquilani, currently impressing with the Primavera, while whispers from Turin suggest Andrea Pirlo is monitoring the situation closely.
For the Florentine faithful, scarred by decades of near-misses since their last Scudetto in 1969, Pioli’s exit feels less like a shock and more like an inevitable chapter in a saga of underachievement. “We love Stefano, but love isn’t enough when you’re staring at Serie B,” said ultras leader Stefano Alcaro outside the stadium on Tuesday. “Give us a coach who bleeds violet, someone who understands what this badge means.”
As the Arno reflects the floodlights of a club in crisis, one truth remains: Fiorentina’s ambitions—of Champions League nights and Derby dell’Appennino glory—hinge on the next roll of the dice. Pioli departs with dignity but without deliverance. The search for a savior begins now.
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