Terry Venables, the former manager of England’s national soccer team, the Socceroos and clubs including Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona, has died aged 80 after an illness, his family says.

“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 released on Sunday.

Venables managed the Socceroos after his time in the England job and he got them within a game of the World Cup before they eventually failed to make the tournament after a second-leg 2-2 draw with Iran at the MCG.

That match was infamous for notorious sporting pest Peter Hore running onto the field and cutting Iran’s net when the Socceroos were up 2-0, before the match was stopped and an Iranian revival sparked as late goals from Karim Bagheri and Khodadad Azizi saw them draw and advance.

Loading