Xavi Hernandez and Pep Guardiola's applications were not genuine: AIFF

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NEW DELHI: A day after its top official claimed that World Cup-winning Spanish great Xavi Hernandez was among the applicants for India football coach's position, the All India Football Federation said that the e-mail received in his name was found to be "not genuine" and three others have been short-listed for the job.

The AIFF did not reveal the names in the pruned list but it is widely believed that Khalid Jamil, currently the head coach of Indian Super League side Jamshedpur FC, is the front-runner for the post left vacant by Spaniard Manolo Marquez.

"The AIFF received an e-mail 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 e-mail applications were not genuine," AIFF stated in a media release.

One of its officials, on conditions of anonymity, had stated on Friday that the application of Xavi could not be processed as the AIFF did not have resources to hire his services.

The IM Vijayan-headed Technical Committee, it is learnt, has also kept Englishman Stephen Constantine, who has previously coached India, and Slovakia's Stefan Tarkovic in the short-list.