Durban City have confirmed the appointment of Eric Tinkler as their new head coach, less than two weeks after IOL Sports reported that the former Bafana Bafana midfielder was among the leading candidates to replace Khalil Ben Youssef.
Tinkler emerged as the frontrunner after parting ways with Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko last month, having requested to be released from his contract for personal reasons after just four Ghana Premier League matches.
His short spell in Ghana yielded one win, two draws and one defeat, while he also guided Kotoko to victory over Hearts of Oak in the Democracy Cup.
The 55-year-old now returns to South Africa to take charge of a Durban City side that parted ways with Ben Youssef after seven Betway Premiership matches.
The Tunisian coach recorded one win, four draws and two defeats, but also guided City past Burundi rivals Rukinzo 3-1 on aggregate in the first preliminary round of he CAF Confederation Cup โ the first African campaign for last season’s Nedbank Cup winners.
A 1996 Africa Cup of Nations winner with Bafana, Tinkler has previously coached Orlando Pirates, Cape Town City and SuperSport United. Tinkler was last in charge of Sekhukhune United in South Africa, but was dismissed in April after failing to deliver the club’s targeted top-three finish and domestic silverware.
He is also a familiar figure to Durban City chairman Farook Kadodia, having previously worked with him at Maritzburg United, where he guided the club to the 2019 Telkom Knockout final.
โIโm excited to be part of what is being built here at Durban City FC,โ Tinkler said. โThe club is very ambitious, they have made positive strides in a short space of time, competing in the CAF Confederation Cup already, and that made my decision easy.โ
On reuniting with Kadodia, Tinkler added: โThe chairman is someone Iโve worked with before. When the opportunity presented itself to come back, I grabbed it with both hands.โ
Tinkler said he would not look to make wholesale changes to a squad that enjoyed a successful 2025/26 campaign.
โI donโt want to make massive changes because last season the club was successful. Itโs about giving others an opportunity and getting back to winning ways.โ
His targets are clear: a top-eight Betway Premiership finish, a strong CAF Confederation Cup run and challenging for the Carling Knockout Cup and Nedbank Cup titles.
โThereโs a lot to play for,โ he said.
Tinklerโs first game in charge will be a KZN derby against AmaZulu at Chatsworth Stadium on Tuesday next week, as league action resumes following the international break.
