The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has confirmed that a widely reported job application from legendary Spanish midfielder and former Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez for the national team’s head coach position was a hoax. Furthermore, the AIFF revealed it had also received a fraudulent application purporting to be from Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.
The clarification, issued in a statement on Saturday, comes after a report in The Times of India on Thursday quoted the AIFF’s national team director stating that Xavi’s name was on the list of applicants. The report also included a comment from a technical committee member suggesting his candidacy was considered too expensive to pursue.
“The AIFF received an email furnishing the applications from Spanish coaches Pep Guardiola and Xavi Hernandez,” the federation’s statement read. “The authenticity of their applications could not be confirmed, and it has since emerged that the email applications were not genuine.”
The AIFF is currently searching for a new head coach following the recent departure of Manolo Marquez, who left the role this month to return to his position at Indian Super League club FC Goa. Marquez himself had only recently been appointed after the AIFF sacked his predecessor, Igor Stimac, in June of last year.
The federation’s technical committee confirmed it had reviewed 170 legitimate applications for the role before creating a final shortlist of three candidates. The search for India’s new permanent head coach continues.
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