The Hindu : Sport : Mourinho quits as Chelsea manager

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Friday, Sep 21, 2007
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Mourinho quits as Chelsea manager

— Photo: AFP

Jose Mourinho.

LONDON: Chelsea on Thursday put former Israel coach Avram Grant in charge of its first team as English football reeled at Jose Mourinho’s shock departure from Stamford Bridge.

Grant, previously the director of football at Stamford Bridge, will take charge along with Mourinho’s former assistant Steve Clarke.

It was not clear if Grant, a close friend of Chelsea’s Russian owner Roman Abramovich, will be given the manager’s job on a long-term basis.

But the Israeli will be in charge when Chelsea faces champion Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.

‘Mutual consent’

The 51-year-old’s promotion came hours after Mourinho’s trophy-laden three-year reign at Stamford Bridge ended with the announcement that he was leaving the club “by mutual consent”.

The self-described “special one” paid a brief visit to the club’s state-of-the-art training complex to the west of London on Thursday morning to say his goodbyes to the players he guided to five trophies in three seasons, before driving away for the last time. Mourinho’s departure was confirmed by Chelsea in a stark, one-sentence statement posted on their website in the small hours of Thursday morning. “Chelsea Football Club and Jose Mourinho have agreed to part company today by mutual consent,” it said.

The official confirmation of Mourinho’s departure followed media reports which had said senior players, including captain John Terry, had received text messages from their Portuguese manager informing them he was leaving. He made a stunning impact, winning the title in his first season, Chelsea’s first since 1955.— Agencies

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