Clive Barker (soccer)


Clive William Barker is a South African former football coach. He guided the South African national team to their only African Nations Cup title in 1996. Barker currently manages Mpumalanga Black Aces in the Premier Soccer League. He is uncle of Steve Barker.

Career

Player

Barker was born in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. He became a professional footballer in the 1960s, playing for Durban City and Durban United having made his debut at the age of 17. He had a trial with Leicester City, but a serious knee injury quickly ended his career.

Manager

"The Dog", as he is nicknamed, became a manager in the 1970s, coaching numerous clubs in South Africa, including Durban City, Manning Rangers, AmaZulu and Santos Cape Town.
During his club career he won two league championships and two league cups. He was one of the first white managers in the South African league.
He took over as manager of the South Africa national football team in 1994 after the team was reinstated after a ban due to apartheid. He took the South African national team to their only African Nations Cup title in 1996, with a 2–0 victory in the final against Tunisia. Under his guidance South Africa qualified for their first ever World Cup in 1998 in France. He quit in December 1997, before the team could compete in the World Cup finals, after a poor showing at the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup.
Barker was a local television commentator during the 2010 World Cup.
Barker was appointed manager of Bidvest Wits in January 2013.