Eric Tinkler
South African soccer player, coach, and manager
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Eric Tinkler (born 30 July 1970) is a South African football coach and former player.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 30 July 1970 | ||
| Place of birth | Roodepoort, South Africa | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1990–1991 | Wits University | 18 | (0) |
| 1991–1992 | União de Tomar | 34 | (5) |
| 1992–1996 | Vitória | 84 | (2) |
| 1996–1997 | Cagliari | 20 | (0) |
| 1997–2002 | Barnsley | 99 | (9) |
| 2002–2005 | Caldas | 54 | (15) |
| 2005–2007 | Bidvest Wits | 29 | (3) |
| Total | 337 | (34) | |
| International career | |||
| 1994–2002 | South Africa | 45 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2013–2016 | Orlando Pirates | ||
| 2016–2017 | Cape Town City | ||
| 2017–2018 | SuperSport United | ||
| 2018 | Chippa United | ||
| 2019–2020 | Maritzburg United | ||
| 2021–2024 | Cape Town City | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Early and personal life
Tinkler was born in Roodepoort.[1]
Club career
Tinkler played club football for Wits University, União de Tomar, Vitória, Cagliari, Barnsley, Caldas and Bidvest Wits.[1]
Tinkler moved from Italian club Cagliari to English club Barnsley on 1 July 1997 for a transfer fee of £650,000.[2]
International career
Tinkler earned 45 caps for the South African national team between 1994 and 2002, scoring 1 goal.[1] He was part of the South Africa squad that won the 1996 African Cup of Nations, playing in the final.[3]
Coaching career
Tinkler became head coach of Orlando Pirates in December 2013; in May 2015, it was announced that he would continue in that role for the 2015–16 season.[4] Tinkler left Orlando Pirates to become the first head coach of Cape Town City club on 17 June 2016.[5] On 8 June 2017, he became head coach of SuperSport United.[6] He quit in March 2018.[7]
After a spell with Chippa United, he became manager of Maritzburg United in January 2019.[8] He left the club in November 2020.[9]
He returned as manager of Cape Town City on 24 May 2021.[10] On 31 December 2024, Tinkler left the club.[11]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Barnsley | 1997–98[12] | Premier League | 25 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 29 | 2 | |
| 1998–99[13] | First Division | 25 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 30 | 3 | ||
| 1999–2000[14] | 33 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 42 | 4 | ||
| 2000–01[15] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2001–02[16] | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | 17 | 1 | |||
| Total | 99 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 118 | 10 | ||
| Career total | 99 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 118 | 10 | ||
International
| South Africa national team[1] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1994 | 5 | 0 |
| 1995 | 4 | 0 |
| 1996 | 11 | 1 |
| 1997 | 10 | 0 |
| 1998 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | 2 | 0 |
| 2000 | 6 | 0 |
| 2001 | 2 | 0 |
| 2002 | 5 | 0 |
| Total | 45 | 1 |
