Mark Fish

This article is about the South African footballer. For the television writer, see Mark Fish (writer). For the American composer, see Mark Fish (composer).

Mark Fish

Personal information
Full name	Mark Anthony Fish
Date of birth	(1974-03-14) 14 March 1974
Place of birth	Cape Town, South Africa
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Defender
Youth career
	Arcadia Shepherds
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1991–1993	Jomo Cosmos	55	(3)
1993–1996	Orlando Pirates	110	(11)
1996–1997	Lazio	15	(1)
1997–2000	Bolton Wanderers	103	(3)
2000–2005	Charlton Athletic	102	(3)
2005	→ Ipswich Town (loan)	1	(0)
2007–2011	Jomo Cosmos	0	(0)
Total		386	(21)
National team
1993–2004	South Africa	62	(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Mark Anthony Fish (born 14 March 1974 in Cape Town) is a retired South African footballer.

Club career

Fish started his career in his native South Africa under the guidance of renowned coach Steve Coetsee, playing for Arcadia Shepherds, an amateur team based at the Caledonian Stadium in Pretoria. He was spotted by then Jomo Cosmos coach Roy Matthews and turned professional as a striker. It was at Cosmos that he was converted into a central defender and went on to become one of the most promising defenders in South Africa at the time.

In 1994 Fish was signed by Orlando Pirates after Cosmos were relegated. At Pirates he arguably played the best football of his career under the tutelage of Mike Makaab. He also won the league championship at Pirates, as well as the BP Top Eight Cup in 1994, the 1995 African Champions League and the 1995 Bobsave Super Bowl (then the premier cup in South Africa). He captained The Buccaneers when they beat JS Kabylie in the 1996 CAF Super Cup. In the same year he was part of the history making South African national team to have won the African Cup of Nations at the first attempt after South Africa's readmission to FIFA in 1992.

Soon foreign scouts came knocking and he was signed by Lazio of Italy, after he turned down an opportunity to play for his boyhood club, Manchester United. However he did move to England after just one season at Lazio to become the highest paid player at Bolton Wanderers. Fish was a mainstay in Bolton's back four for much of their first season back in the Premiership, he received praise from both team mates and those whom he played against, most notably Manchester United forward Andrew Cole. Despite Fish's efforts Bolton were relegated on the last day of the season despite having accumulated 40 points, normally enough to stave off the drop. Once playing back in the lower leagues Fish applied himself well, quickly gaining a cult status amongst the Bolton faithful, backed up by his nickname "Feesh", and a particularly eyecatching headgear in the shape of a giant Blue fish being made available in club stores. However, new suitors soon came calling, and only after the appointment of Sam Allardyce did Fish's star begin to fall in the North of Lancashire. Fish soon followed his Danish team mate Claus Jensen and at Alan Curbishley's second time of asking moved to Charlton Athletic in a £700,000 move in November 2000. "The Big Fish" as he was affectionately known throughout his playing career went on to make 102 Premiership appearances for the Addicks, scoring three times.

In 2005 he began to fall out of favour at Charlton. He went on to have a very short loan spell (45 mins) at Ipswich Town in the 2005–06 season but a severe cruciate ligament injury led to Fish announcing his retirement.

Fish returned to football when he signed a six-month contract with his first club Jomo Cosmos in early 2007 but did not play an official game due to his low level of fitness.

International career

Internationally, Fish is best remembered as being a crucial part of South Africa's victorious national soccer squad when they won the 1996 African Cup of Nations. He scored one of the goals in the quarter final against Algeria. He was named to the Team of the Tournament in both the 1996 and 1998 African Cup of Nations. In total he won 62 caps for the South African national team, scoring twice.

He made his international debut in a friendly game against Mexico on 6 October 1993 and received his last cap in a World Cup qualifier against Ghana on 20 June 2004.

International Goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	1996-01-27	Johannesburg, South Africa	Algeria	1–0	2–1	African Nations Cup
2	1996-06-15	Johannesburg, South Africa	Malawi	2–0	3–0	WCQ

Personal life

He was married to Loui Fish (née Visser), a former lingerie model and well-known socialite. They have two sons, Luke Fish (born in Bolton, 1999) & Zeke Fish (born in 2001).

Fish has returned from Europe to his homeland South Africa and has been actively involved in charity work, much of it aimed at the development of African soccer and the eradication of African poverty. He was one of a handful of Ambassadors in South Africa's successful bid to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

In August 2008 Fish's wife, Loui, and his ten-year-old son, Luke, were at their Mooikloof home with friends when five men, armed with an assortment of weapons including an AK-47, burst into their house.

Mark and Loui divorced in April 2011. Mark is currently an ANC member of the Lilliesfarm branch.

Further reading

• Graeme Friedman Madiba's Boys The Stories of Lucas Radebe and Mark Fish Comerford & Miller, United Kingdom ISBN 9781919888088 Features a foreword by Nelson Mandela

External links

• Mark Fish career statistics at Soccerbase