AIFF Confirms Xavi and Guardiola Coaching Applications Were Hoaxes
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) confirmed on Saturday that coaching applications allegedly submitted by Spanish football legends Xavi Hernández and Pep Guardiola for the Indian national team job were fraudulent.
Earlier in the week, a national team official told the Times of India that Xavi’s name appeared on the list of applicants for the vacant head coach position. A member of the AIFF technical committee had even remarked that the former Barcelona manager’s appointment would be too costly to pursue. However, the AIFF has now clarified that both Xavi and Guardiola were never genuine applicants.
“The AIFF received an email containing applications attributed to Spanish coaches Pep Guardiola and Xavi Hernández. Upon review, we could not verify the authenticity of these submissions. It has since been confirmed that the applications were not genuine,” the federation stated.
This marks the first public acknowledgment that Guardiola’s name was also falsely included in the list of candidates. The AIFF is currently in the process of appointing a new head coach following the departure of Manolo Márquez, who recently returned to Indian Super League side FC Goa.
Addressing the next steps in the hiring process, the AIFF said, “Given the immediate needs of the national team, it is advisable to recommend three coaches from the shortlisted pool for final consideration. Other prominent applicants — including several highly qualified international coaches — will be considered for long-term strategic roles.”
According to the Times of India, the three candidates under consideration are Khalid Jamil, former India manager Stephen Constantine, and ex-Slovakia coach Štefan Tarkovič.
India, currently ranked 133rd in the FIFA world rankings, parted ways with former coach Igor Štimac in June 2024. The national team was eliminated from the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers earlier this year.
