Xavi's India Coach Application? 19-Year-Old Alleges It Was a Prank
In yet another bizarre twist in Indian football, following reports that Spanish legend Xavi Hernández had, out of the blue, applied for the role of Head Coach of the Indian senior men’s team to replace Manolo Marquez, a 19-year-old boy has now come forward claiming it was he, and not Xavi, who sent the email to the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
The teenager, going by the name of Akhil, shared screenshots and a screen recording of the email allegedly sent from his account on 5th July 2025 at 3:42 p.m., a day after the AIFF had issued an open letter inviting applications for the much-discussed position.
“I wanted to see what would happen. I hoped that seeing Xavi’s application, the AIFF might actually consider him. I did this hoping it would somehow help Indian football move forward,” he wrote in a chat with this correspondent.
If his claim is true, it raises serious questions about the decision-making capabilities of the people in charge of Indian football’s top body.
As of the time of publishing, emails sent to both the AIFF and Xavi’s team, seeking verification of the claim, remain unanswered.
“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,” AIFF in a statement on Saturday.
According to a report published by the Times of India, AIFF’s National Team Director Subrata Paul stated, “It’s correct that Xavi’s name was there. The application was emailed to the AIFF.” The report further quoted Paul as saying the email was sent via Xavi’s “personal ID”, although notably, the contact section of the application remained blank.
A simple visit to Xavi’s official social media pages reveals a professional email address that is markedly different from the one used to send the application — xaviofficialfcb@gmail.com.
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.
— Naman Suri (@Namansuri03) July 25, 2025
Indian football deserves better.#IndianFootball #Xavi pic.twitter.com/MVJu6w4l1L
The same TOI report also suggests that rather than verifying the authenticity of the email, AIFF chose to focus on rejecting the supposed application on the grounds of the high financial costs associated with hiring the former FC Barcelona coach.
Xavi, a former World Cup and two-time European Championship winner with Spain, lifted 25 trophies in total during his illustrious playing career, most of which came at FC Barcelona. As a manager, he led Qatari club Al Sadd to domestic success before returning to his boyhood club Barcelona, guiding them to two trophies, including the La Liga title in 2022–23.
In a previous interview with The Athletic, Xavi had said he “sometimes follows the Indian League because many Spanish coaches are there.”
Additionally, Spanish journalist Ferran Correas accused the AIFF of deliberately using Xavi’s name to draw more attention to the vacant head coach role.
Correas, quoted by the local media, stated, “People close to Xavi insist that he never applied for the head coach position of the Indian NT. They believe the All India Football Federation intentionally used his name to boost the profile of the role during their search for a new manager.”
Meanwhile, the AIFF technical committee has recommended three names to the executive committee to replace Marquez, who resigned earlier this month. The shortlist includes former India coach Stephen Constantine, ex-Kyrgyzstan and Slovakia boss Stefan Tarkovic, and Khalid Jamil — the only Indian name in contention. A final decision is expected by 1st August 2025.
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