English Football: Chelsea F.C. sack Grant

Chelsea F.C. fired Manager Avram Grant today. This comes three days after Chelsea lost to Manchester United F.C. in the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final in Moscow. Grant's tenure has been scrutinized ever since he took over for Jose Mourinho last September.

Despite the constant questioning of his appointment as Manager of the first team, he was able to guide Chelsea F.C. in taking Manchester United to the final day of the Premier League title race after going level on points and narrowly missing out on European glory on penalties. The club only lost two Premier League matches during his tenure, but he was criticised by fans who claimed that his teams lacked style.

A statement on the club read: "'Chelsea Football Club can confirm that Avram Grant has had his contract as manager terminated today. This follows meetings over the last two days," "Everybody at Chelsea FC would like to thank Avram for his contribution since taking over as manager last September," and "We will now be concentrating all our efforts on identifying a new manager for Chelsea and there will be no further comment until that appointment is made."

Former Barcelona Head Coach Frank Rijkaard, Inter Milan Head Coach Roberto Mancini and Russia Head Coach Guus Hiddink have all been linked to the position at Chelsea F.C.