When India begin their AFC Asian Cup campaign against Thailand at the Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, Stephen Constantine will be aware that this could be his last assignment as head coach of the men’s national football team.

Over the past few months, all indications from the Football House in Dwarka – the headquarters of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) – have pointed to Constantine’s contract not being extended beyond the Asian Cup.

Given the Englishman’s hot-and-cold relationship with the AIFF top brass that is hardly a surprise.

Last week, AIFF general secretary Kushal Das though dismissed rumours about the federation being on the lookout for a head coach. “We all are focused on the massive tournament right now and we’ll only sit together to discuss this once his contract ends on 31st January 2019,” he was quoted as saying in a press release.

However, Das will do well to recall that since late 2017, the federation itself has selectively leaked news of discord between some of the national team players and Constantine to the media.

Reports of disagreements between Sunil Chhetri and Constantine resurfaced late last year, thanks to off-the-record media briefings from the federation, thereby undermining India’s preparations for the Asian Cup.

When asked about this prior to India’s friendly against Jordan in November, Constantine had said: “This is our culture. We can’t stand to see the team doing well; we have to make our own problems instead of letting Iran or UAE cause us problems. I have zero interest in what other people say. I only care about what my players say, and if there’s an issue, the players, the captains come and speak to me.”

In a recent email interaction, Chhetri also indicated his disapproval at leaks from the national camp. “Whatever small, non-relevant, minute things happen in the camp should remain in the camp,” he said.

Constantine’s second stint has also seen him being over squad selections. Over the years, he has excluded a number of in-form players from his roster, most notably Debjit Majumder in the past and Michael Soosairaj and Rahul Bheke in the present.

At the same time, Constantine has produced results, taking India to their fourth-ever Asian Cup and into the top-100 of the Fifa rankings. Given India’s conservative, but effective, style of football under him, the Englishman perhaps hasn’t yet been tempted to bring in adventurous players who may not fit into his system against stronger teams.

It is also worth noting that during his first year in charge of the team this time, India’s ranking had slipped to 173 after the national team missed Fifa international friendly dates, primarily due to Indian Super League (ISL) clubs resisting releasing players for the same.

Constantine has managed to navigate through these problems over the years, despite the AIFF rarely backing him in public.

In the UAE, India will do well to avoid three defeats against three superior teams. Irrespective of what happens, Constantine will be able to walk out with a creditable record if the Asian Cup does turn out to be his final assignment.

First Published: Jan 05, 2019 15:00 IST