Dubai Sports Council receive former Chelsea coach Grant

Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council, received former Israel national football team and Chelsea coach Avram Grant at the Council headquarters and the two parties are keen to collaborate for the betterment of football in the UAE.

The meeting, which took place at the headquarters of Dubai Sports Council, was attended by Nasser Aman Al Rahma, Assistant Secretary General of the Council, and the Israeli coach, who has spent almost 48 years coaching teams in Israel, England and many other countries, expressed his desire to work with Dubai Sports Council for the benefit of football in the UAE by conducting advance-level workshops and training courses for the technical staff here, according to a press release.

Saeed Hareb gave an explanation to the Israeli coach about sports in Dubai and the role that Dubai Sports Council plays in the promotion of sports as well as the development of the sports sector here, by encouraging the private sector to become a part of it, and also by supporting international academies to open branches in Dubai. The Council is also at the forefront in encouraging members of the community to embrace a physically active lifestyle.

Saeed Hareb also stressed that Dubai Sports Council is keen to provide the means of success for any international sporting body that wishes to operate in Dubai, and make use of its excellent sporting infrastructure to host major international sports events here. The Council, he said, is also keen to exchanging experiences, and benefit from the successful professional experiences of clubs and coaches from different regions.

The Secretary General of the Council informed Grant about the role of Dubai International Sports Conference plays in the development of football in the UAE, the region and the world. The Conference has become one of the biggest international platforms that annually reviews the most important professional sports experiences for football’s decision-makers in international federations and top clubs, as well as star players and trainers.

Grant said he is happy to visit UAE and experience first-hand the amazing development that is taking place here, and saluted the country’s positive atmosphere that helps support establishment and growth of business in the country.

He also expressed his admiration for the development of the sports sector in the country and the hosting of various international events, foremost of which is football, and he is looking forward to sharing his vast experience in the world of football for the betterment of the sport in the country.

Grant, who started his coaching career at the age 18 as a youth coach of his home-town team Hapoel Petah Tikva in Israel in 1972 before progressing to managing clubs like Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa, managed the Israel national team from 2002 to 2006, before moving to England as Technical Director of Portsmouth. In July, 2007, he was appointed Director of Football at Chelsea and two months later, following the departure of Jose Mourinho, he took over as manager of Chelsea and guided the team to the Champions League and League Cup finals. Chelsea were in the running for the Premier League title until the last day, but finished two-point behind Manchester United in second.

Grant returned to Portsmouth as Director of Football in October, 2009, and took over as manager the following month. He then spent a season as West Ham manager (2010-2011), before taking over the reins at Serbian club Partizan Belgrade.

Grant then spent a season as Technical Director of Thailand club BEC Tero Sasana before his appointment as manager of the Ghana national team in 2014. He stepped down from the position following Ghana’s defeat in the semi-finals of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. Grant has also worked in India technical advisor of Indian Super League side NorthEast United.