Avram Grant, the Portsmouth manager, dedicated Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final win over Spurs to his late father, Meir.
With relegation from the Premiership officially confirmed the day before the tie, Pompey, who are in administration and were recently hit with a points deduction, defied the odds to claim victory in extra time at Wembley.
Following the match, Grant travelled to Poland to mark Holocaust Day. The Israeli, 54, will participate in the March of the Living ceremony at Auschwitz-Birkenau, together with his two teenage children, Daniel and Romi
“It is more than just football,” said Grant, whose father died last year.
Grant told the JC: “This match was different to the Champions League semi-final between Chelsea and Liverpool two years ago. That game was actually during Holocaust Day. This time the match finishes several hours before Holocaust Day begins.
Speaking about Meir, a Holocaust survivor, Grant said: “My father told me to live not in the past but in the future. He never hated anyone, even people who did him wrong. He came into life with a smile and departed in his sleep with a smile. This is for him.”
Portsmouth will meet holders Chelsea, Grant’s former club, in the FA Cup final at Wembley on May 15.
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