Factbox on Avram Grant
Born: May 6 1955, in Petah Tikva, Israel
After a promising career as a young coach with his home club Hapoel Petah Tikva in the 1970s and early '80s, Grant was earmarked for bigger things with Israel's major clubs. He coached Maccabi Tel Aviv twice (1991-95 and 1997-2000) and Maccabi Haifa (2000-2002) with whom he won league and cup titles.
Appointed Israel's national team coach in May 2002, a position he held until his departure in 2006. Following a disappointing Euro 2004, Israel just missed a playoff spot for the 2006 World Cup finals, finishing unbeaten in a group behind France and Switzerland.
Befriended Roman Abramovich during meetings in Tel Aviv in the spring of 2006 when he was expected to take up the role of coach of Hapoel Tel Aviv, which was designated to become a feeder club for Chelsea. The deal by Abramovich's friend Levi Leviev to buy Hapoel fell through, however, and Grant moved to England.
Appointed technical director of Portsmouth in July 2006, the club partly owned by Alexandre Gaydamak, the son of Russian-born billionaire Arkady Gaydamak, the high-profile owner of Israeli league champions Beitar Jerusalem.
Left Portsmouth to take up the position of director of football at Chelsea.
(China Daily 09/21/2007 page23)
