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The All India Football Federation (AIFF) recently confirmed receiving job applications for the head coach position of the Indian men’s national football team, purportedly from Manchester City’s current coach Pep Guardiola and former Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez. However, subsequent verification revealed that these applications were not genuine, as stated by the AIFF.
Earlier this month, Manolo Marquez stepped down as India’s head coach, prompting the AIFF to invite applications for the role. On Thursday, an AIFF official informed *The Times of India* that Xavi Hernandez was among the applicants. Xavi, who has been without a coaching role since leaving Barcelona in June 2024, was reportedly not considered due to financial constraints, as the AIFF lacked the resources to hire a coach of his stature.
On Saturday, July 26, 2025, the AIFF issued a statement clarifying that applications in the names of both Xavi and Pep Guardiola were received via email but were later found to be hoaxes. Guardiola, who has been Manchester City’s coach for nine years and is under contract until 2027, was an unlikely candidate, raising suspicions. No recent reports suggested Guardiola’s interest in coaching a national team or leaving Manchester City. The AIFF’s investigation confirmed the applications were fake.
In a statement titled “AIFF Executive Committee to Review Shortlisted Candidates for Men’s Senior National Team Head Coach by Rejecting Fake Applications,” the federation noted, “The AIFF received an email furnishing applications from Spanish coaches Pep Guardiola and Xavi Hernandez. The authenticity of their applications could not be confirmed, and it has since emerged that the email applications were not genuine.”
The AIFF received 170 applications for the coaching position. The Technical Committee, led by former India captain IM Vijayan, shortlisted 10 candidates before finalizing three. The federation emphasized appointing a coach with knowledge of Indian and Asian football. Khalid Jamil, currently head coach of Jamshedpur FC in the Indian Super League, is reportedly the frontrunner, followed by Stephen Constantine, who previously coached India, and Stefan Tarkovic, former Slovakia coach.
