Terry Venables: Former England manager dies aged 80

  • Venables was in charge of England when they reached the semi-finals of Euro 96
  • Former midfielder also managed Barcelona and Tottenham
  • Was capped twice by the Three Lions as a player

Venables has passed away at the age of 80
Venables has passed away at the age of 80 / Ross Kinnaird/GettyImages
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Former England and Tottenham manager Terry Venables has passed away at the age of 80 after a long illness.

Venables, who featured for Chelsea, Spurs and Queens Park Rangers during his playing days, also had spells in charge of Barcelona and Australia but is most revered for overseeing the Three Lions' magical run to the semi-finals at Euro 96.

A statement from the Venables family reads: "We are totally devastated by the loss of a wonderful husband and father who passed away peacefully yesterday after a long illness.

"We would ask that privacy be given at this incredibly sad time to allow us to mourn the loss of this lovely man who we were so lucky to have had in our lives."

A social media post from former club Tottenham added: "The club is extremely saddened to learn of the passing of former player and manager Terry Venables.

"Our deepest condolences are with Terry's friends and family at this incredibly difficult time. In tribute, we shall hold a minute's applause prior to kick-off and our players will wear black armbands during this afternoon's fixture against Aston Villa."

Venables joined Chelsea at the age of 15 on an apprenticeship and helped them win the 1964/65 League Cup before joining Tottenham in 1966. He won the 1966/67 FA Cup with Spurs, beating his former side in the final at Wembley.

Having gained a good reputation as a manager with healthy spells with Crystal Palace and QPR, Venables took over at Barca and won the La Liga title in 1985, their first league championship since 1974.

His time as Tottenham boss included high-profile clashes with then chairman Alan Sugar but still produced success in the form of the 1990/91 FA Cup.