National Football Association forced to release Pep Guardiola statement after job application | OneFootball

Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola has been thrust into the centre of conversation surrounding the next permanent head coach of the India Men’s National Team.

The bizarre episode follows a period of attention on Indian football after the resignation of head coach Manolo Marquez earlier this month, who left his role to prioritise duties with Indian Super League club FC Goa.

That decision prompted the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to begin its search for a successor, with the globally-viewed job post leading to the AIFF confirming it had received as many as 170 applications from around the world.

While speculation has surrounded several names in recent weeks, few could have predicted one particular twist. Reports in India and Spain suggested that two of the most recognisable names in world football, Pep Guardiola and Xavi Hernandez, had submitted applications.

The claims escalated quickly when Indian national team technical director Subrata Paul was quoted in the press as entertaining the idea that the latter and recent FC Barcelona coach was genuinely interested in taking over. But those rumours have now been firmly quashed.

As reported by BBC Sport, applications supposedly from Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and former Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez to manage India have both turned out to be hoaxes.

The country’s national association, the All India Football Federation, has confirmed that emails claiming to be from the two coaches were not genuine, after reports in Indian and Spanish press claimed India’s technical director, Subrata Paul, admitted Xavi’s interest.

Now, a statement from the AIFF this week has said: “AIFF received an email furnishing the 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.”

Pep Guardiola remains contracted to Manchester City until the summer of 2027, and while speculation about his long-term future beyond that point has lingered, there is no indication that the Catalan is pursuing national team opportunities in the short term.

In fact, Guardiola has previously stated that he could one day consider international management, but only when his club career is complete, and has never expressed public interest in a move to the Indian national side.

As for Xavi, the 45-year-old has remained out of work since his departure from Barcelona at the end of the 2023/24 season. While his future remains unclear, links to India appear equally implausible and now confirmed to be the product of fabricated communications.

India’s men’s national side are currently ranked 133rd in the FIFA World Rankings and finished bottom of their group at the 2023 Asian Cup. Despite efforts to grow the game domestically and through the ISL, India has never qualified for a FIFA World Cup and continues to face steep competitive challenges on the international stage.

The AIFF’s search for a legitimate successor to Manolo Marquez continues and a final decision could be expected in the weeks ahead, with the association narrowing its shortlist and interviews due to be scheduled.