Ajax coach Francesco Farioli headlines Aspire Academy's 10th Global Summit in Qatar

The 10th edition of Aspire Academy's Global Summit has kicked off in Qatar, with Ajax head coach Francesco Farioli headlining the two-day event.

The summit is being held at at the Regency Sealine Camp in the deserts of Qatar. The event started on Monday and will end on Tuesday. The opening day saw Ajax coach Francesco Farioli return to Qatar and deliver a masterclass.

The event was inaugurated by Aspire Academy’s Director General Ivan Bravo with welcoming remarks from Professor Valter Di Salvo, the Executive Director of the Aspire Academy Global Summit.

Aspire Academy's global summit is a platform for the world-class academy in the World Fellows community that brings together 50 sporting bodies, including clubs, federations, and leagues.

The event focuses on knowledge-sharing and insights into performance and science of developing the future of the game.

On Monday, there were multiple workshops, roundtable discussions and chats with French coach Rudi Garcia and Al Duhail boss Christophe Galtier.

Bravo, Director General of Aspire Academy, touched on Aspire's 20th anniversary year and how the academy has produced talented players.

"Aspire has time to get to know players over several years, and those players get to know not just each other but the staff. That kind of bond and understanding leads to success, as we have witnessed with Qatar winning back-to-back AFC Asian Cups," he said.

There were also welcoming remarks from Professor Valter Di Salvo, the Executive Director of the Aspire Academy Global Summit.

Ajax's Italian boss Farioli is no stranger to Aspire Academy. He had in the past worked with the Qatar Football Association and had spent time at Aspire from 2015 to 2017.

“I arrived in a country far from home, and I didn’t speak English well. That was a big challenge,” he admitted. “When I arrived, I had a lot of ideas but had no idea how to put them in order, and that is one of the main things I learnt at Aspire Academy.”

Meanwhile Galtier, current Al Duhail boss and former PSG manager, praised the Aspire Academy.

"Before I came to Qatar, I had heard about Aspire Academy and its reputation, but this weekend, I witnessed for myself what it can produce when I saw seven young players developed at Aspire playing, and I was impressed with what I saw. I am enjoying my time in Qatar as everyone is open to learning new things and working hard."

On Tuesday, the likes of legendary Argentina striker Gabriel Batistuta was slated to give a speech at the event.