Indian FA confirms job applications from Xavi and Guardiola were hoaxes

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) confirmed on Saturday that a job application attributed to the former Barcelona manager and Spain midfielder, Xavi Hernández, for the India head coaching role was a hoax.

The Indian FA’s national team director told the Times of India on Thursday that Xavi’s name was on the list of applicants. The report also quoted an AIFF technical committee member saying that his candidacy was deemed too expensive to pursue.

“The AIFF received an email furnishing the applications from Spanish coaches Pep Guardiola and Xavi Hernández. The authenticity of their applications could not be confirmed, and it has since emerged that the email applications were not genuine,” the AIFF said.

It had not been previously reported that the AIFF had also received an application purporting to be from Guardiola. India are searching for a replacement for Manolo Marquez, who left this month and returned to his role as coach of Indian Super League team FC Goa.

View image in fullscreen Igor Stimac was dismissed by India after the team crashed out of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. Photograph: Xinhua/Shutterstock

The AIFF technical committee added that it had reviewed 170 applications for the role, initially narrowing the list to 10 before shortlisting three unnamed candidates. An appointment is planned in time for the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers this autumn.

“Given the immediate needs of the national team, it is advisable to recommend three coaches from the shortlisted pool for final consideration,” the AIFF said. “Other prominent applicants, many of whom are highly qualified international coaches, will be taken into account for long-term strategic roles in the future.”

The Times of India have reported that the three candidates being put forward are the former international player Khalid Jamil, twice former India manager Stephen Constantine and the former Slovakia manager Stefan Tarkovic.

The AIFF sacked Igor Stimac in June last year before appointing Márquez. India are 133rd in the world rankings and were eliminated from World Cup 2026 qualifying in the second round.

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