The Indian footballing community was left amazed when reports emerged that the legendary Spanish footballer, Xavi Hernandez, had applied for the role as Head Coach of the Indian men’s football team. But the excitement was soon turned to disappointment after the All India Football Federation (AIFF) highlighted that they could not confirm whether the application was genuine or not.
Now, another twist in the tale has emerged. A report by The Telegraph suggests that the person who sent the email was just a 19-year-old college student. He studies at the Vellore Institute of Technology, a private university in Tamil Nadu and used ChatGPT to create the email.
“I copy pasted the [ChatGPT] response and mailed it. I didn’t attach a CV or anything, but I think they saw the mail,” the student was quoted as saying.
The AIFF had released a statement on Saturday, July 26, where they revealed they had these supposed applications but could not verify their authenticity regarding this. Surprisingly, they even mentioned that the current Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola, was also on the list of applicants.
“Additionally, 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’s statement read.
The new head coach has yet to be finalised, and Indian football looks to be in dire straits at both club and international levels. The Indian Super League’s future also remains uncertain due to the ongoing tussle between AIFF and FSDL yet to officially conclude.
The Indian football body revealed that they have culled down the applications to just three. They also suggested that they were searching for someone who has a better understanding of the Asian football scene, and in India as well.
“A key takeaway from the deliberations was the shared view that appointing a coach with a deep understanding of the Asian and Indian football ecosystem would be highly beneficial to the national team’s immediate and future success,” the statement read.
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