Latest news with #IndianLeague
Time of India
24-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
When Xavi stumped AIFF with a too-good-to-be-true entry
Former Barcelona coach Xavi has previously said he 'sometimes (follows) the Indian League because many Spanish coaches are there' Panaji: The technical committee of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) rubbed their eyes in disbelief when they saw the long list of candidates for the India coaching job. There were the familiar names like former national team coach Stephen Constatine, Liverpool star Harry Kewell, former Blackburn Rovers manager Steve Kean, India's own Khalid Jamil, and coaches like Kibu Vicuna and Eelco Schattorie, whose work is known in the country. But at the bottom of a list prepared by AIFF's national team director Subrata Paul, there was Xavi Hernandez. Marked in green, the former Barcelona coach and legend, someone who made more than 700 appearances for the Spanish giants, was shown to have sent the application from his own email ID. Unlike other shortlisted applications, the contact number column was blank. 'It's correct that Xavi's name was there,' Paul told TOI on Thursday. 'The application was emailed to the AIFF.' According to sources, the technical committee did not consider Xavi for the final shortlist due to the high financial cost. As player, the Spanish midfielder enjoyed a historic career, winning the FIFA World Cup in 2010 and two European championships. With Barcelona, he became the symbol of the club's possession-based style of football and won 25 trophies, which includes eight La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Top 15 Most Beautiful Women in the World Undo Xavi kickstarted his coaching career with Al Sadd in Qatar, then returned to Barcelona as coach, but left after guiding the club to two trophies in two and a half seasons in charge, including the 2022-23 La Liga title. 'Even if Xavi was genuinely interested in Indian football and could be convinced to take up the job, we would need a lot of money,' said a member of the technical committee who attended the virtual meeting on Wednesday. In a previous interview with The Athletic, Xavi said he 'sometimes (follows) the Indian League because many Spanish coaches are there.' The technical committee has recommended three names to the AIFF executive committee to replace Manolo Marquez, who quit early this month. Jamil is the lone home-grown coach in the list, which also has Constantine, hoping for a third stint with the national team, and former Kyrgyzstan and Slovakia head coach Stefan Tarkovic. The shortlist was finalised by the technical committee chaired by former India captain IM Vijayan. Paul, and technical director Syed Sabir Pasha, were also in attendance, while inputs were sought from Dronacharya awardees Armando Colaco and Bimal Ghosh, who are advisors to AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey.
News18
04-07-2025
- Business
- News18
Lalit Modi, Vijay Mallya Sing 'I Did It My Way' At Grand Party In London
Lalit Modi shared a video of the grand party at his house in London, where he was seen singing 'I Did It My Way' by Frank Sinatra with fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya. Former Indian League (IPL) owner Lalit Modi hosted an annual summer party in London with his 310 friends and family, and one of the attendees was none other than his 'good friend" Vijay Mallya. Lalit Modi shared a video of the grand party at his house in London. 'Had an amazing night with 310 friends and family a lot who travelled specially for this event thank you to one and all who attended this evening and made it one of the most special night for me," he said on Instagram. The attendees included Indian singer Carlton Braganza and former cricketer Chris Gayle, who was seen signing a bat for Modi. However, the highlight of the celebrations was Modi and Mallya singing 'I Did It My Way' by Frank Sinatra on karaoke. Thanking Braganza and Gayle, Modi said, 'Hope this video does not break the internet. Controversial for sure. But that's what I do best." Earlier, Chris Gayle had shared a picture with Mallya and Lalit Modi. 'We living it up. Thanks for a lovely evening," he said on his Instagram. Lalit Modi, who previously served as the vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), is accused of alleged bid-rigging, money laundering, and violating the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA). He left India in 2010 while under investigation for alleged financial misconduct, including unauthorised fund transfers. On the other hand, Mallya is an accused in a bank loan default case of over Rs 9,000 crore from an SBI-led consortium, involving his defunct Kingfisher Airlines. Mallya left for the UK in 2016 and was declared a fugitive in 2019. He has been living in the UK since then. First Published:
