Terry Venables, the former manager of the Australian and England men’s soccer teams, has died aged 80 after an illness, his family said on Sunday.
“We are totally devastated by the loss of a wonderful husband and father who passed away peacefully yesterday after a long illness,” the family said in a statement.
Terry Venables, then Socceroos boss, during a training session with the Australian squad in January 1997.Credit: Pat Scala
As a player, he made more than 500 appearances for Chelsea, Tottenham, QPR and Crystal Palace, and won two caps for England.
However, it was as a coach that he made his mark. He won the FA Cup with Spurs in 1990-91, and also managed Palace, QPR, Leeds United and Middlesbrough, plus Barcelona in the Spanish league.
During his time at Barcelona, Venables earned the nickname El Tel, winning La Liga and reaching the European Cup final in 1986. Venables was also responsible for luring England striker Gary Lineker and Wales international Mark Hughes to Camp Nou.
Terry Venables at the MCG after Australia missed out on qualification for the 1998 World Cup.Credit: Greg Ford
“The best, most innovative coach that I had the privilege and pleasure of playing for,” Lineker, who also played under Venables at Spurs and England, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“He was much more, though, than just a great manager, he was vibrant, he was charming, he was witty, he was a friend.”
Former England striker Alan Shearer, who played under Venables at the 1996 European Championship, also paid tribute.
“Extremely sad news the great Terry Venables has passed away,” he wrote on X. “RIP Boss. I owe you so much. You were amazing.”
Venables guided England to the semi-finals of the 1996 Euros on home soil before losing to Germany on penalties.
Late in his career he played briefly for Canterbury-Marrickville Olympic (now Canterbury Bankstown) and returned to Australia to lead the Socceroos’ push for a first World Cup appearance since 1974.
He joined the Socceroos as manager in November 1996, replacing Eddie Thomson and led Australia during the 1997 Confederations Cup, where they lost to Brazil in the final in December 1997.
However, by this time, the main prize – World Cup qualification – was already gone after Australia had failed to qualify for France 1998 the month before.
His Australian side were 2-0 up against Iran in the final play-off match, only to concede two late goals in front of 85,000 at the MCG and miss out on a place in France on away goals.
As a midfielder, he began his playing career at Chelsea and went on to make two international appearances for England. He also played for Tottenham, winning the FA Cup as a player in 1967, and also played for Queens Park Rangers and Crystal Palace.
Venables also had a two-year stint as chief executive of Spurs from 1991-93.
“We are extremely saddened to learn of the passing of Terry Venables, our former player, manager and chief executive, who passed away on Saturday,” Spurs said in a statement.
