Life is looking good for soccer legend Mark Fish. Not only has he found love again, but he also makes his debut tonight in a new TV documentary, Class of ’96: Rise of a Nation.
The show revisits Bafana Bafana’s 1996 Afcon victory and features fellow football legends Lucas Radebe, Neil Tovey, Doctor Khumalo, Shaun Bartlett and Andre Arendse.
While Fish, now 51, reflects on his glory days in South African football, he’s also celebrating a far more personal triumph — a life of sobriety and an engagement that proves he’s ready to give love a third chance.
For decades the former defender’s legacy has been synonymous with the golden era of South African football. Behind the accolades, however, was a long-running battle with alcohol.
It played a role in the breakdown of two marriages — first to Loui Visser and later to Salome van Rensburg — and earned him the reputation of a hooligan.
“The things off the field are things I learnt the hard way,” Fish says. “Not coming from the most privileged background, to having everything and [then] losing everything and starting over. The mistakes I made, the people I hurt — those are the things I want to correct.”
She brings me peace and allows me to be myself. I don’t have to pretend. She’s experiencing a sober Mark. It doesn’t mean it’s the better Mark — but let’s hope it is
Fish, who played for Jomo Cosmos, Orlando Pirates and internationally with Italy’s Lazio and later in the English Premier League with Bolton Wanderers and Charlton Athletic, says he made the decision two years ago to quit booze and turn his life around.
“I take each day as it comes, and I’m now over two and a half years sober. I can be present in my life — for my kids and for my family. It’s had a great effect. You need structure; without it, you can lose everything. It’s something I needed to get rid of.
During his sobriety journey, he met Celesti Azor.
“She’s a Pilates teacher, so I booked into her class to get close to her,” he laughs. “We went on a couple of coffee dates and eventually became closer and closer. Very quickly she became a person I could talk to about my journey and what I am trying to achieve. I’m not scared of my past.”
In November, at a fine-dining restaurant in Durban, Fish proposed — and she said yes.
“After spending time with her, I could feel it. It had a lot to do with where I am in my life. She brings me peace and allows me to be myself. I don’t have to pretend. She’s experiencing a sober Mark. It doesn’t mean it’s the better Mark — but let’s hope it is," he says.
“I am living my best possible life with someone I love and adore, and who is willing to understand me and us as a couple.”
Fish equates his ability to start over to the discipline and grit football instilled in him.
“I’m excited about where I am right now. The things I wasn’t supposed to do, I’ve let go of. I’m more excited about where I’m going — and where the people I love are going with me.”
Football has given me so much. Now it’s time to implement what I’ve learnt and give back. I use football to create better characters — and the youngsters teach me things
He believes football taught him that while losing is part of the game, the ability to get back up for the next challenge is what defines a champion.
“One day you’ll win, one day you’ll lose. But winning and losing in life [affects] you mentally, spiritually and physically.
“Football has given me so much. Now it’s time to implement what I’ve learnt and give back. I use football to create better characters — and the youngsters teach me things.”
Fish’s name is firmly etched in South African football history. In e.tv’s Class of ‘96: Rise of a Nation, Fish and his former Bafana Bafana teammates reflect on the pressure, pride and triumph of that Afcon campaign.
“Thirty years ago, we were playing a quarterfinal and the country was [changing],” he says. “Time flies, and I’m very fortunate to have been a part of that chapter in South African football.
“This generation needs to understand what past players did to put Bafana on the map. We were representing players who never had the chance to play for South Africa. We had big characters, an unbelievable coach, and a federation that backed us.
“What Clive Barker did was to get the right players. He was a dedicated person; we were very fortunate to play for somebody like that. The respect he gave us, gave us the opportunity to play on the field.”
