The All Indian Football Federation (AIFF) has released a statement confirming that Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola did not, in fact, apply to become the new head coach of the country’s men’s football team.
At the start of July, it was confirmed that India had agreed to mutually terminate the contract of Manolo Márquez. The federation claim to have received 170 applications for the vacant position, including two from Márquez’s compatriots.
Not only did the AIFF have Guardiola knocking on the door, but former Barcelona manager Xavi Hernández was supposedly filling up their inbox. Unsurprisingly, both applications were written off as a “hoax”.
“The AIFF received an email furnishing the applications from Spanish coaches Pep Guardiola and Xavi Hernández,” an official statement read. “The authenticity of their applications could not be confirmed, and it has since emerged that the email applications were not genuine.”
Xavi’s supposed interest could not be dismissed as quickly as the spurious links to Guardiola. While City have their manager tied to a contract until the summer of 2027, the former Barcelona captain has been out of work since he was sacked by his boyhood club in June 2024. Xavi’s first experience of management in Qatar with Al Sadd also points towards a willingness to venture outside of Europe.
Guardiola likely won’t be arriving in New Delhi any time soon, but he has repeatedly stressed his desire to move into international management. “I would love to be in a World Cup, in a Euro, a Copa América,” he told Reuters in June. “I have always thought about it. But it depends on many, many things. If it happens, it’s fine. If it doesn’t happen, it’s more than fine as well.”
Before plotting global domination, Guardiola must first focus on restoring Manchester City to their former glories. The 54-year-old surprisingly extended his stay at the Etihad last November during a run which would develop into the worst form of his managerial career. The dethroned champions eventually recovered to finish third, yet were dumped out of this summer’s Club World Cup in the last 16.
In an attempt to explain the unexpected extension, Guardiola revealed: “It’s to prove myself that I can do it, I don’t want to have those feeling that last season left. Because when we win, the wine tastes better afterwards, you sleep better. I don’t know a manager who loses games and sleeps like a baby. It doesn’t happen. You’ve got to worry. That’s part of our life.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man City’s Pep Guardiola Tied Up in International ‘Hoax’.