Avram Grant gets first job since ‘stripping naked in front of women’ accusations
Avram Grant has landed his first managerial job since he was accused of stripping naked in front of women.
The former Chelsea and Portsmouth boss has been appointed the new manager of the Zambian national team, signing a two-year contract with the Football Association of Zambia. It is his first management role since leaving Indian club NorthEast United, where he also served as technical director, back in 2018.
Speaking at a press conference in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, Grant explained: “I was looking for the right challenge and that's why I chose Zambia.
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“I came here because of the challenge and I hope when I leave here I will look around and say we did a good job and made a good foundation for the future. I think Zambia has the potential, we have set the targets of what we want to achieve.”
The appointment also comes just 11 months after Grant was accused of sexual assault by several women, with their testimonies broadcast on the Israeli investigative show Exposure.
In January, Grant was accused of exposing himself, forcibly kissing the women and demanding that they have intercourse with him.
The accusations came from high-profile female journalists and models in Israel, although their identities were not revealed in the broadcast.
In the documentary, some of the women alleged that Grant sexually harassed them during his stay in London. One even claimed the encounter took place on a match day.
She claimed: “I met him for work because I was told he can help me and he knows very important modelling and sports agents.
“He went into my room and we had small talk and then out of nowhere he took his clothes off, laid on the bed and started talking to me.
“He said ‘let’s have sex’ repeatedly and mentioned the name of the agent like he was hinting it may harm my career if I won’t sleep with him.
“I came for work only and was shocked. I feared maybe I will lose the campaign. I said again and again no. I tried to leave but he stood in the door and kept saying ‘come on’.
“There was no physical force but I felt locked in. At one point I just wanted to get it over and to get away so he could finish and I would be over it.”
Grant responded to the claims by saying: “In my life, both in a personal and professional capacity, I have always sought, above and beyond any successes or achievements, to prioritise staying a human being and to respect every woman or man, whoever they may be.
“I am a people person, a man of friendships. And over the years I have maintained relationships with women.
"In all these relationships I have tried very hard to treat them with respect and friendship and I never intended to behave unfairly or in any way harm any woman.
"Anyone who has felt uncomfortable or hurt by me, I regret it and apologise from the bottom of my heart.”
Grant is set to take charge of his first match as Zambia boss in March when they take on Lesotho in qualifying for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. The national team currently includes Leicester City's Patson Daka and Rangers forward Fashion Sakala.
Grant has previous experience of working in Africa, having led Ghana to the final of AFCON in 2015 during a three-year spell in charge of the national team.
The 67-year-old is best known to fans in England for his spells with Chelsea and Portsmouth, as well as a season at the helm of West Ham United.
Although he led Chelsea to the Champions League final in his sole season as manager, he tasted relegation from the Premier League in successive seasons with Portsmouth and West Ham.
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