Eric Tinkler

Tinkler played club football for Wits University, União de Tomar, Vitória, Cagliari, Barnsley, Caldas and Bidvest Wits. Tinkler moved from Italian club Cagliari to English club Barnsley on 1 July 1997 for a transfer fee of £650,000.

Tinkler earned 45 caps for the South African national team between 1994 and 2002, scoring 1 goal. He was part of the South Africa squad that won the 1996 African Cup of Nations, playing in the final.

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. Tinkler left Orlando Pirates to become the first head coach of Cape Town City club on 17 June 2016. On 8 June 2017, he became head coach of SuperSport United. He quit in March 2018. After a spell with Chippa United, he became manager of Maritzburg United in January 2019. He left the club in November 2020. He returned as manager of Cape Town City on 24 May 2021. On 31 December 2024, Tinkler left the club. He joined Sekhukhune United in March 2025. He was voted the August 2025 South African Premiership coach of the month. He left the club in April 2026 by mutual consent. On 17 July 2026, Tinkler was appointed as head coach of Ghana Premier League side Asante Kotoko.

Tinkler was born in Roodepoort.