For a moment, some Indian football fans actually believed it was true.
Some people thought Guardiola or Xavi might take over coach india, But that was never going to happen and it didn’t.
This week, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) came out and officially said what most people already suspected deep down the supposed applications from Guardiola and Xavi were fake. They didn’t send emails asking to coach India. And AIFF was never in serious talks with them.
It was all a hoax.
Where Did It All Start?
The buzz began earlier this month after AIFF confirmed it had parted ways with Manolo Márquez, the Spanish coach who had been managing India’s men’s team since mid-2024.
His stint didn’t go well, just one win in eight matches, and India’s form had dropped a lot. By July 2, the contract was terminated “mutually,” though that’s often just polite football speak.
Soon after the federation opened up applications for the vacant job, and a wave of names came pouring in. According to AIFF, they received around 170 applications in total.
Most came from lesser-known coaches. But then came the surprise. Two emails arrived, claiming to be from Pep Guardiola and Xavi Hernández.
Nobody knew if it was true or just a rumour. It spread fast online, and fans started thinking about Guardiola or xavi coaching. But before the fantasy got out of hand, AIFF responded.
They checked the emails and found them to be fake. Here’s part of the statement they released:
“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.”
In short: no, Guardiola wasn’t emailing AIFF from Manchester to offer his services. And no, Xavi wasn’t sitting in Spain typing up a resume.
So Why Did People Believe It?
It wasn’t just blind hope. There were a few things that made it seem maybe possible.
For one, Xavi was actually out of a job. Xavi was sacked by Barcelona in June 2024 after a difficult season. The team struggled, and the club financial problems. So when people heard he might coach India team, they were not surprise about it.
He had coached in Qatar before with Al Sadd, so managing outside Europe wasn’t new to him.
As for Guardiola, he's been pretty open over the years about his desire to manage a national team someday. Just last month, in an interview with Reuters, he said:
“I would love to be in a World Cup, in a Euro, a Copa América. I’ve always thought about it. But it depends on many, many things. If it happens, great. If it doesn’t happen, that’s also okay.”
Some fans were excited, but most knew it wasn’t true. Guardiola contract with Manchester City will expire in 2027. Last season was not easy, but he didn’t leave. Instead, he stayed and even signed a new deal during a hard time, it shows he’s still fully committed.
He explained why he stayed:
“It’s to prove to myself that I can still do it. I didn’t want to leave with the feeling I had last season. When we win, it feels better. You sleep better. I don’t know any manager who loses and sleeps like a baby. It just doesn’t happen.”
International football is in his plans. But India? Right now? That’s just not realistic.
What About Xavi? Could He Actually Be Interested?
Xavi’s situation is a bit different. He’s available. He’s young, relatively experienced, and has worked outside Europe before. He also knows what it’s like to build a team from scratch, which could’ve been valuable for a nation like India that’s trying to climb the ranks in Asian football.
But again, the AIFF never received a real application from him.
There was a brief moment of confusion when Subrata Paul, one of the AIFF officials, confirmed to Indian media that Xavi’s name had popped up. Some believed that meant he had applied for real. But it turns out it was just his name, not him.
They said the application “was emailed to the AIFF,” but never verified. It was fake, just like the one supposedly from Guardiola.
One thing that might’ve ruled Xavi out anyway is money. Multiple reports say his expected salary would’ve been far above what the AIFF is willing or able to offer.
The federation runs on a tight budget, and paying a former Barcelona manager big bucks for a long-term rebuild just isn’t something they can afford right now.
What’s Next for Indian Football?
Now that the fairytale is over, the federation is focused on the real shortlist. According to the latest from AIFF, they’ve narrowed down the list of applicants to three final candidates.
The AIFF hasn’t officially named anyone yet, but reports in India say the top candidates right now are Khalid Jamil, Stephen Constantine, and Stefan Tarkovic.
Khalid Jamil has spent many years in Indian football. He’s managed clubs like Aizawl FC and Jamshedpur FC. Constantine already has two previous stints with the national team and knows the system inside out.
Tarkovic, on the other hand, is a more international name, he led Slovakia at Euro 2020 and has been praised for his tactical flexibility.
None of them have the star power of Guardiola or Xavi, but they bring something arguably more important, actual understanding of the job at hand. As IM Vijayan, who heads AIFF’s technical committee, said earlier this week:
“We are not just looking at names. We are looking at who can realistically help us improve our team and our structure. The person must understand Indian football. Its strengths, its limitations, and its potential.”
It’s actually good to see that the people in charge didn’t get carried away. Fans got excited for a moment, but those making decisions stayed focused.
Let’s Be Honest: The Guardiola/Xavi Rumors Were Fun
Even though it turned out to be fake, the whole situation did get people talking about Indian football again and that’s not a bad thing. It’s not every day Indian football trends because of two world-famous coaches being “linked” with the team, even if falsely.
It also shows just how hungry fans are for a turning point. They want to believe something big could happen. They want to feel like their national team is going somewhere, even if it takes a leap of imagination.
That moment when fans imagined Guardiola giving press conferences in New Delhi or Xavi watching a training session at the Kalinga Stadium… it was brief, but it was exciting.
And maybe that tells us something important. Indian football doesn’t just need a new coach. It needs belief, direction and a serious honest, project that fans can buy into not a gimmick or a shortcut, but a plan.
Wanderlustsport Verdict
Guardiola isn’t coming. And Xavi won’t be waving from the sidelines either. But that’s okay. What India needs right now isn’t a big name, it needs a committed, experienced coach who understands what it takes to build something meaningful over time.
Let the fake email saga be a reminder of how quickly excitement can spread in the football world. But also let it be a wake-up call.
Real change doesn’t come from wishful thinking. It comes from doing the hard work, picking the right people, and sticking to the plan.
And if Indian football does that, maybe one day it won’t need to dream about Pep or Xavi, maybe it’ll have its own legends to talk about.