The greatest glory South African soccer ever celebrated was birthed by Clive Barker, the 78-year-old who breathed his last yesterday after a brave battle with Lewy body dementia.
The muting of the bark of The Dog, as Barker was affectionately known, closes the last chapter of an honest man who gave his life to football, and brought honour to his country with its greatest crown, the Africa Cup of Nations success in 1996.
That was 27 years ago, the length of Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment, and Bafana Bafana — more than 20 coaches later — have failed to prance on that podium as champions of Africa when the Springboks have won three World Cups in 28 years. But I digress ...
Barker was the first man to get South Africa to qualify for the Fifa World Cup.
Long before I was an idea in my father’s head, Barker turned out for Durban City and Durban United, and had a trial at Leicester City before a knee injury cut short his career.
However, true to the adage that great coaches are generally not those who were superstar players, like Arsene Wenger, it is from the dugout that the father of famous sports photographer Gavin and uncle of Stellenbosch United coach Steve, left an indelible mark, starting with his sterling work with Durban City.
The world speaks about Pele as the godfather of the game of billions. Barker told me this was said because apartheid denied the globe from witnessing the genius of Sugar Ray Xulu, whom he coached during one of his three spells with AmaZulu.
Barker was everybody’s coach, spanning generations. From Mlungisi Ngubane of Durban Bush Bucks to the Tovey brothers Neil and Mark, Julius Chirwa, Simon Magagula and Joseph Mlaba of AmaZulu, Andre Arendse, Lucas Radebe and the two Johns of Bafana, Shoes Mosheou and Dungi Moeti ... I could count until the cows come home.
“You know Clive’s history,” said Neil Tovey, his Bafana captain. “Every team he touched, he turned to gold, so it is a tragic time to lose a person of his stature — the only men’s coach to win a Nations Cup.”
Give the ball to Doctor (Khumalo), was Barker’s instruction during the Nations Cup, and Khumalo would return the unwavering faith his coach had in him with a shimmy and a shibobo through the legs of an overzealous marker as Bafana advanced goalwards.
Cameroon. Ghana. Algeria. They all fell like dominoes, steamrolled by Barker’s brilliant Bafana.
He should have taken his team to the 1998 World Cup. But because the global showpiece was in France, the mental breakdown of the powers saw them overthrow him in favour of Frenchman Philippe Troussier. That maverick made a mess as monumental as the messy manner in which he was hired.
However, Barker never held a grudge against those who removed him.
The main blot on his book, in the eyes of many, was when he substituted Doctor Khumalo at half-time, when then African champions Bafana were all over world champs Brazil like a rash. We were leading 2-0. Mario Zagallo’s men won 3-2.
There are those who add to the charge sheet, saying Barker delayed the introduction of a young Benni McCarthy to the Bafana fold. But like Jesus said, let he who has not sinned cast the first stone.
The famous cry when our boys were men was “Ndizani Bafana Ndizani”, imploring Barker’s men to soar to greater heights. Not one to curtail his joy, Barker would take off at full speed with hands spread wide like an aeroplane in that famous celebration of his.
The FNB Stadium was his playground, where he notched up notable and memorable victories, such as masterminding the 3-1 victory for underdogs Usuthu against overwhelming favourites Kaizer Chiefs in the 1992 Coca-Cola Cup final. The game ranks among the greatest upsets in sport and will forever linger in the minds of the legions of AmaZulu fans.
That arena was also the stage of Bafana’s finest hour. Fifa boss Gianni Infantino said after Pele’s passing that each country must name a stadium after the Brazilian great. Rubbish, say I. Rename the FNB Stadium the Clive Barker Calabash.
No one else deserves that honour.
“The only one in South Africa to win Afcon, he made players perform beyond their talent. He was a friend, coach, mentor, leader and a father. A difficult combination to get out of a coach. He coached human beings first, then the talented football player. I am lucky he was my coach”, read a tweet on Saturday.
How beautiful it would be for the writer of those words, Pitso Mosimane, to one day become the second coach to win Afcon for South Africa. No guesses for who will be doing the aeroplane celebration up above.
Rest, Clive.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.