1. Avraham "Avram" Grant is an Israeli professional football manager who currently manages the Zambia national football team.
47 Facts About Avram Grant
1. 2.
Avram Grant has spent the majority of his career coaching and managing in Israel, winning a number of national league and cup victories with different teams, and managing the Israel national team for four years.
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Two months later, in September 2007, following the departure of Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant was appointed as Chelsea's manager.
4.
Avram Grant returned to Portsmouth as director of football in October 2009, and was made manager the following month.
5.
Avram Grant stepped down from the position after a defeat in the semi-finals of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
6.
In January 2018, Avram Grant moved to India to join the Indian Super League side NorthEast United as a technical advisor, a day after the team head coach Joao de Deus was sacked due to a poor start.
7.
Avram Grant ultimately settled in Petah Tikva, where he and Grant's mother Aliza Nisan, an Iraqi-Jewish immigrant to Israel, met.
8.
Avram Grant shortened his surname from Granat in the late 1980s.
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Avram Grant was married to Israeli television personality Tzufit Grant.
10.
In October 2009, Avram Grant's father died aged 82 from complications following surgery to remove a kidney stone.
11.
On 20 February 2008, Chelsea Football Club announced that Avram Grant had received anti-Semitic death threats from unknown sources.
12.
One of the packages sent to Avram Grant's home was said to have contained a white powder that, after investigation, proved to be harmless.
13.
On 4 February 2010, it was reported that Avram Grant was facing police questioning over an incident on 18 December 2009 at a Thai brothel in Horton Heath, Hampshire.
14.
On 13 June 2016, following extensive research into his father's Polish-Jewish heritage, Avram Grant received his Polish passport from the Polish Embassy in London.
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Avram Grant's professional coaching career started at age 18, in 1972, as youth coach of his home-town team, Hapoel Petah Tikva.
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Avram Grant returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv between 1997 and 2000, although this period was less successful than his previous one at the club, winning just the Toto Cup in 1999.
17.
Avram Grant moved to Maccabi Haifa in 2000, where he coached until 2002.
18.
Avram Grant is known in Israel for giving a chance to young players in almost every club he coached, such as Alon Hazan and goalkeeper Raffi Cohen at Petah Tikva, Avi Nimni and Itzik Zohar at Maccabi Tel Aviv, Gal Alberman in the Israeli team, and many more.
19.
Avram Grant famously did not include Israeli star Eyal Berkovic in the national squad during 2005, saying he wanted to create "a younger team", but, nonetheless, retaining 34-year-old Avi Nimni.
20.
In 2007, Berkovic described the way Avram Grant became Chelsea's manager as "disgusting" and "disrespectful".
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Avram Grant, as is the case with another coach from Petah Tikva, past Israel coach Dror Kashtan, is considered one of the most successful Israeli coaches.
22.
Avram Grant has a reputation of a lucky winner in Israel, which caused the invention of the frequently used humorous term 'Hatachat shel Avram'.
23.
Avram Grant was director of football at Portsmouth during LuaLua's stint at the club.
24.
In October 2005, Avram Grant announced that he would step down from the national team as his contract was due to expire in June of the following year.
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When he took the helm at Chelsea, Avram Grant did not hold the required top-flight coaching certification from UEFA.
26.
Chelsea stated that some of the protests directed towards Avram Grant constituted abuse of a racist nature.
27.
However, many Chelsea fans felt their objections against Avram Grant being appointed as the team's manager are justified, citing his "lack of expertise at the highest levels of football" and Avram Grant's lack of a formal UEFA qualification as manager.
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Subsequently, Avram Grant was offered and signed a four-year contract with Chelsea in December 2007.
29.
Avram Grant later revealed that he turned down the opportunity to return to the club in his former role as director of football.
30.
Just as his predecessor Jose Mourinho had done, Avram Grant completed his period as Chelsea manager without losing a single home game in the Premier League.
31.
On 7 October 2009, Avram Grant returned to Portsmouth as their new Director of football, following the purchase of the club by Ali al-Faraj.
32.
On 26 November 2009, following the release of Paul Hart, Avram Grant was confirmed as the new manager of the club.
33.
On 20 May 2010, Avram Grant resigned as the manager of Portsmouth.
34.
Avram Grant announced his decision to leave in an open letter to fans on the club's website, stating that "it was the hardest decision I have ever had to make".
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Avram Grant went on to say that Portsmouth's fans had brought tears to his eyes with their loyalty, devotion and passion for the club.
36.
On 3 June 2010, Avram Grant signed a four-year deal with West Ham subject to a work permit which was secured on 8 June.
37.
On 5 June 2010, Thomas Hitzlsperger became Avram Grant's first signing at the club on a free transfer.
38.
However, the dismissal of Blackburn Rovers manager Sam Allardyce on 13 December 2010 was followed by media reports that West Ham were on the verge of dismissing Avram Grant and offering Allardyce his job.
39.
Indeed, it was reported Avram Grant was handed an unusual ultimatum: win one of the next three games or face losing his job.
40.
Avram Grant was sacked that day, hours after the end of the match.
41.
On 13 January 2012, Partizan Belgrade's board of directors announced in an official statement to the public that Avram Grant was named the new manager of the club.
42.
On 27 November 2014, Avram Grant was appointed as coach of the Ghana national football team.
43.
On 2 February 2017, Avram Grant resigned as the coach of Ghana after finishing fourth in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, losing against Cameroon in the semi-final and Burkina Faso in the third place play-off.
44.
Avram Grant joined Indian Super League side NorthEast United FC as a technical advisor on 4 January 2018.
45.
Avram Grant was later promoted to Head Coach on 12 January 2018.
46.
Avram Grant was the first head coach from an Asian country in the Indian Super League.
47.
On 22 December 2022, Avram Grant was unveiled as the new manager of the Zambia national football team after signing a two-year deal.