Indian footballers lose their cool in SAFF Cup

New Delhi: Defending champions India`s average performance in the ongoing SAFF Championship in Kathmandu is taking a toll on the team camaraderie.

There were ugly scenes after the team`s 1-1 draw with Bangladesh as Mehtab Hussain and Mohanraj Nallappan were involved in an exchange of words Tuesday. Team sources revealed that Nalappan charged at Hussain after the match ended. "The two players were having some problems during the match. After the final whistle when the players were walking out, Hussain said something to Nalappan who charged at him. It was only after fellow players intervened that the situation could be brought under control," a team official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said. The All India Football Federation, however, tried to play down the incident and said it was blown out of proportions. India are going through a lean phase in the competition. They scraped through with a 1-0 own goal win against Pakistan while Sunil Chettri`s last minute strike saved them the blushes and enabled 1-1 draw against Bangladesh. IANS