Xavi application for India coaching job was a hoax, AIFF says
The AIFF's national team director told The Times of India on Thursday that Xavi's name was on the list of applicants. The report also quoted an AIFF technical committee member saying the his candidacy was deemed too expensive to pursue.
"The 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," the AIFF said in a statement.
It had not been previously reported that the AIFF had also received an application purporting to be from Manchester City manager Guardiola.
The AIFF Technical Committee said it had reviewed 170 applications for the Indian men's head coach role, narrowing the list to 10 before short-listing three candidates.
The AIFF sacked former India manger Igor Stimac in June last year before appointing Spaniard Manolo Marquez, who left the job this month and returned to his role as coach of Indian Super League team FC Goa.
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(Photo: Facebook screengrab / leixoessad) European Football Dream Starts Young During the early days when he was enjoying the sport, Matin trained at LFA Academy, and subsequently, he sharpened his technical skills when he moved to Chelsea Football Club's Soccer School Singapore. Matin's abilities on the field also proved to be a level above his schoolmates when he was selected to play for the Anglo-Chinese School's (International) U16 age-group team when he was just 13 years old. He later represented Saint Gabriel's in the U15 COE and B Division, finishing as the league's third-highest scorer before COVID cut the season short. The pandemic did not stop Martin from continuing his love for football and development on the field, as he later joined Euro Soccer Academy prior to his stint at Tanjong Pagar and the Sailors. 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