India, Nov. 6 -- Kalyan Chaubey and Igor Stimac locked in a public display of affection was how the last SAFF Championship ended. Not allowed on the bench because of suspension, the India head coach was sat next to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) president when Gurpreet Singh Sandhu got a strong hand to Khaled Hajiah's shot. As the Kanteerava shook, Kuwait lost and India won their ninth title, Chaubey jumped into Stimac's arms.

Three years and some is long enough for friendships to fray and Chaubey and Stimac have had some falling out. Between one SAFF Championship and another, July 2023 and November 2026, Stimac was sacked, Manolo Marquez stepped down and Khalid Jamil came on board though he isn't in Dhaka. Sunil Chhetri would ...