‘An icon who believed in me’ – Fadlu Davids remembers late Clive Barker

The 1996 AFCON-winning mentor with Bafana Bafana succumbed to illness on Saturday and emotional tributes have been pouring in. 

Davids played under Barker and later worked as his assistant at Maritzburg.

 "I've had the privilege to play under him and to be his assistant coach when he had a spell at Maritzburg," reflected Davids after his side beat Casric Stars 2-0 in the PSL Promotion Play-offs in KwaMhlanga on Saturday.

"He played a huge role in my career as a player, he gave me that confidence – here this icon believes in me, and it made me believe in myself.

"When I came to Manning Rangers, he was the coach and I was a young player. I had just come from playing in Bulgaria for one season, and there were Gilbert Mushangazhike and Ishmail Maluleke [at Rangers] at the time.

"For an icon like that to believe in me really gave me the confidence to say, 'Hey, if this AFCON winner can believe in me... And, of course, you learn every day working under a coach like him."

Barker, who died at 78, was like a father figure to Davids, a sentiment shared by many of the players he coached.

"He was someone that just knew what and how to say it at the right time to make a player play above themselves or to strive for more, and that's something you don't learn in coaching books," he added.

"He has that [trait]. Everyone would talk about the tactical teacher and motivator – yes, he was tactically astute, but his motivational skill of making the players believe in themselves was his major strength.

"I felt it first hand, and of course, while we were working together as coaches, I saw and got into his brain as to how, when and I was fortunate enough to work with him in that period."