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Former Chelsea manager Avram Grant has been accused of sexual harassment by several women as part of an Israeli TV investigation.
Grant, who also had spells in charge of Portsmouth, West Ham and the Israeli national team, has been accused of attempting to use his position to coerce women into having sexual relations.
As reported by The Times Of Israel, Israeli investigative show Exposure presented testimonies from a number of women, who accused Grant of sexual harassment.
One woman claimed she was invited to Grant's apartment in Tel Aviv in 2020 with an offer to help her find work, before he allegedly asked her to take off her clothes.
“He told me, ‘Make yourself comfortable, take off your clothes.’ I thought he was joking. I was sitting far away from him, on the edge of the couch,” said the women, who was 22 at the time of the alleged incident.
“He asked me to come closer and tried to hug me, really grabbed me and did not let go. I felt uncomfortable, he put his hand on my thigh, and I remember immediately moving his hand.
“After a few seconds of talking, he grabbed me by the neck, as if choking me, turned my head to him, and tried to kiss me by force.”
The women said she "didn't have the courage to say no to him" after he asked her to stay overnight, and she later “froze” in terror after Grant took her hand and placed it in his groin area.
After refusing to have sex, she claims to have woken up the next morning to find Grant stood over her naked.
Another woman, described as a well-known Israeli model, said she flew to England to meet with Grant after he offered to help advance her career.
After meeting at a hotel, she said he took off his clothes and tried to convince her to have sex with him.
“I said no a million times, but he persisted and persisted… I felt that I had to, so he would let me go,” she said, adding that he did not use physical force.
Another woman, identified as a prominent sports journalist in Israel, said that Grant had also offered to assist her career.
She claims he then began making inappropriate comments to her and sent her harassing messages over several years, with other women on the show recounting similar behaviour from Grant.
In response, Grant issued an apology in which he said that any harm he had caused was unintentional.
“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,” he said.
“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 provided an additional statement to SPORTbible on Monday night, saying: “To add my statement last night, which I stand by, I want to be clear. I have never and I would never force myself on and be physically aggressive towards a woman. Or to anyone.
“Any sexual relationship I have had with a woman has been consensual.”
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Chelsea, Football, Premier League, West Ham United, Portsmouth
Rory O'Callaghan