Fiorentina fired Stefano Pioli in FLORENCE, Italy, with the Viola still winless through 10 rounds of the Italian league and sitting at the bottom of the table.
The decision followed a 1-0 home loss to Lecce that deepened a poor domestic opening for the Tuscan club. Fiorentina is behind Hellas Verona by 1 point and has managed only draws and defeats in league play.
The club confirmed Pioli had been removed as head coach of the first team. Fiorentina also said Daniele Galloppa would take temporary charge, beginning with training after the decision.
The coaching change came after another major move in the club’s sporting structure, with Fiorentina and Daniele Prade ending his contract by mutual consent. The changes leave the Viola trying to stabilize both the bench and the front office during a difficult league start.
Pioli had been hired after Raffaele Palladino unexpectedly left Fiorentina following a strong league finish. The club’s recent European record had been far better than its current domestic form, with Fiorentina reaching consecutive Conference finals before a semifinal run last season.
That contrast remains part of the immediate picture. Through 10 league rounds Fiorentina is at the bottom domestically, but in the Conference it leads the table after its opening matches in Europe.
The Viola next travel to Mainz in the Conference, then return to Italian league action at Genoa. Those fixtures now fall under Galloppa’s interim watch while Fiorentina looks for a longer-term answer.
Pioli’s recent career included leading AC Milan to the Italian title in 2022 and then coaching Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia before returning to Fiorentina.
The move is another coaching change in the Italian league this season, after Luciano Spalletti replaced Igor Tudor at Juventus and Patrick Vieira left Genoa.