By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
@GalloImages.
The family of former South African national football team coach Clive ‘The Dog’ Barker announced his passing on Saturday morning.
Barker, 78, led South Africa to their only continental triumph at the Africa Cup of Nations finals beating Tunisisa 2-1 in Johannesburg, in 1996.
Barker’s family confirmed his death in a statement this morning.
“It is with profound sadness that the family of former Bafana Bafana coach Clive Barker announce his passing on Saturday, 10 June after a brave battle with Lewy Body Dementia (LBD),” the statement read.
“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the medical professionals who cared for Clive over the past six months.
“He fought a brave battle, and we are relieved he is now at peace.
“Clive will be remembered by South Africans for his role in helping to bring a nation together around the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations, but for us he was a loving husband, father, and grandfather, and he will be dearly missed.
“We have been overwhelmed by the enormous outpouring of love and support for Clive since he was first diagnosed with LBD, and this is a testament to the coach, friend, and mentor he was to not only several generations of footballers, but also anyone who crossed his path in the sport he so dearly loved.
“We will provide details of the memorial service in the coming days and ask the family’s privacy be respected at this very difficult time.”
In a coaching career that spanned 42 years, Barker mentored teams including AmaZulu, Manning Rangers, Durban City, Durban Bush Bucks, Santos Cape Town, Wits and, as his last assignment, Maritzburg United, which came to an end in 2016.
He defied apartheid regulations in the 1970s to coach teams in South Africa’s black townships and winning the league three times in the top flight.
Barker also spearheaded the country’s first appearance at the FIFA World Cup in France in 1998.
Tributes
The South African Football Association (SAFA) has expressed its condolences to the family of former Bafana Bafana coach Clive Barker.
In a SAFA statement, the organisation’s president Danny Jordaan said Barker’s passing was a huge blow to the sport.
“We are saddened by the passing of Clive Barker after a long illness,” Jordaan said.
“Bafana Bafana winning the African Cup of Nations with a South African coach at the helm is still one of the standout moments in the history of the [our] football. Clive Barker signalled the take-off of Bafana Bafana to become the champion of Africa. He celebrated continuously on the touchline, spreading out his wings.
“He has made a major contribution to South African football. He managed to build a strong administration for the team, the captains and the players of that side.
“It is no wonder that virtually every single one of those players were signed by the top clubs in Europe. This made him the only coach that had the entire Bafana Bafana team composed of foreign based players and playing in the best leagues in Europe.
“Clive has been a people’s person and may his soul rest in peace.”
The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) has expressed its sadness at the loss of one of the country’s most iconic sports personalities.
News of Clive Barkers death has been received with heavy hearts by South Africa’s sports governing body.
The president of SASCOC, Barry Hendricks said: “Clive Barker was one of the most influential sports figures of his generation. He united a country when he coached Bafana Bafana to African Cup of Nations glory in 1996 and we were not only champions of Africa, but one of the world’s most accomplished teams.”
“On behalf of SASCOC and the entire sporting fraternity of South Africa, I want to send our condolences to the entire Barker family and his many close friends. Clive Barker was loved and respected by all and a true ambassador for our country on and off the field. We mourn his loss, ” Hendricks said.
Social media tributes also flocked in for Barker from the South African football fraternity.