AIFF confirms Guardiola and Xavi applications were fake amid India coach search

Updated: 27 Jul, 2025 • 0 • min read

Table of Contents

AIFF confirms Guardiola and Xavi applications were fake amid India coach search

Photo: AP

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has confirmed that email applications allegedly submitted by Pep Guardiola and Xavi for the vacant India national team head coach role were fraudulent.

The revelation comes as India continues its search for a new boss following Manolo Márquez's departure earlier this month, with the AIFF now having shortlisted three genuine candidates for the role.

Guardiola & Xavi Never Applied, Confirms AIFF

In a statement released over the weekend, the AIFF clarified that the high-profile applications attributed to Manchester City manager Guardiola and former Barcelona boss Xavi were part of a hoax.

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.

According to internal reports, one of the emails was sent from a suspicious address xaviofficialfcb@gmail.com, which investigators now believe was created by a 19-year-old impersonator attempting to mislead the federation.

It wasn’t Xavi who applied to coach India. It was a 19-year-old who used a fake email ID. I spoke to him and he showed me a screen recording from his Sent folder. Yes, this might’ve been the email AIFF thought came from Xavi.
Indian football deserves better. #IndianFootball #Xavi pic.twitter.com/MVJu6w4l1L
— Naman Suri (@Namansuri03) July 25, 2025

AIFF Clarifies After Public Confusion

Initial reports of Xavi's interest in the job surfaced after comments made by national team director Subrata Paul to The Times of India, in which he acknowledged that Xavi's name had appeared on the list of applicants.

A technical committee member later stated that the federation could not afford Xavi, fuelling speculation.

However, Saturday's statement made it clear: neither Xavi nor Guardiola were ever in the running.

Manolo Márquez's Exit Opened the Door

India has been without a permanent head coach since early July, when Márquez stepped down to return to his role at Indian Super League club FC Goa.

The 56-year-old, who had only taken charge earlier this year, reportedly left the role to focus on his club commitments.

For any enquiries, please contact us here.