Two companies that spent much of the latter half of 2013 demonstrating the range of problems that a complex, international takeover can encounter look set to spend 2014 showing how hard it can be to unpick such a deal.

That was the powerful impression from yesterday’s statements from Cooper Tire & Rubber, of the US, and India’s Apollo Tyres after Cooper announced it was giving up efforts to force Apollo to complete its planned $2.5bn takeover.

Cooper and Apollo spent four days in court in Delaware in November blaming each other for the extraordinary range of obstacles that has prevented the deal – which would have been the biggest takeover of a US company by an Indian one – from going through. The $35-a-share all-cash offer was initially announced in June but encountered numerous problems, including worker unrest in China and a successful challenge by Cooper’s US unions.