A 19-year-old student from Vellore Institute of Technology admitted to orchestrating a prank by sending an email posing as Spain and Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez, applying for the head coach position of the Indian football team.
The Telegraph Online quoted the student as saying that 'he created a fake email id, xaviofficialfcb@gmail.com, and gave a prompt to ChatGPT: "Write an email by Xavi Hernandez expressing his interest to coach the Indian football team".'
'I copy pasted the [ChatGPT] response and mailed it. I didn’t attach a CV or anything but I think they saw the mail,' he told The Telegraph Online.
He reportedly sent the email twice to the AIFF, applying for the head coach position.
The AIFF, after initially believing the prank, announced on Saturday that the email received in Xavi's name was deemed "not genuine" and shortlisted three other candidates for the role.
"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
A day earlier, the AIFF stated it could not process Xavi's application due to the high costs of hiring a world-renowned midfielder-turned-coach, which exceeded the federation's budget.
"Yes, he (Xavi) applied for the job of the Indian senior men's team football head coach. He has himself mailed his application to the people in the technical committee, and it looks like he was very much interested in the job," a source in the AIFF told PTI on Friday.
The AIFF did not disclose the names of the three shortlisted coaches, but Khalid Jamil, head coach of Indian Super League's Jamshedpur FC, is reportedly the frontrunner for the position vacated by Spaniard Manolo Marquez.
National Team Director Subrata Paul, also a former India skipper, spoke about preference being given to those with some understanding of Indian football.
"It is a very important moment for Indian football, and we are committed to appointing a coach who not only brings technical expertise but also understands the unique style, culture, and dynamics of Indian and Asian football.
"We believe such a coach will be able to connect with our players quickly and effectively," Paul stated.
