Ballroom crooner, boardgame designer, raconteur and businessman, Terry Venables has always seen himself as a versatile character.

The latest saga in his life, a 7-year legal ban on assuming company directorships, will come as no surprise to many pundits who have charted his adventures both on and off the football pitch.

Although applauded widely as a football visionary and a talented coach, he has always sought to extend his activities into the world of business.

Those pursuits have sometimes led him far from the football field; he has been a restaurateur, a nightclub owner, even dipping his toe into the waters of boardgame design.

Partners with Alan Sugar winning the 1991 FA Cup

But throughout his career, he has also been determined to move into the boardroom of the football clubs where he has coached.

His most spectacular move came in 1991 when he joined computer tycoon Alan Sugar to buy the London club Tottenham Hotspur.

Two years later, despite an FA Cup triumph, the Venables-Sugar partnership ended in bitter acrimony and court battles. The claims and counter claims are still being thrashed out.

Later, when Venables was being touted for another top job in football, Mr Sugar was asked if his former partner was the right man for the job. Tellingly, he replied: "Yes, if he sticks to the football," indicating perhaps that his coaching abilities were more finely honed than his business skills.

Spotlight on business dealings

Venables' business career had a relatively low profile until he was appointed England coach in 1994.

His activities soon came under the media spotlight in particular two BBC1 Panorama investigations into his business affairs. Legal actions followed, which have still not been concluded.

Mixing with the rich and famous at his west London nightclub

Throughout his two years as national coach, Venables continued to attract controversy in his personal and business life. Some commentators thought it inappropriate for the holder of the top job in English football to also run a West End club, Scribes West.

And at the Football Association there was unease about the increasing public discussion of his complicated business affairs and the amount of litigation in which he was involved.

When he asked for an extension to his contract of employment, a number of influential members of the FA Council refused to back him. Venables responded by announcing he would quit after the Euro 96 tournament.

England performed well as host nation of the competition, losing to Germany on penalties in the semi-finals.

His next appointment came with a move to Portsmouth, where he was seen as a saviour when he joined as Director of Football.

In November 1996 he took control of the club also replacing Scotsman Eddie Thomson as coach of the Australian national side. But Venables was rarely seen at Portsmouth games after the Antipodean appointment.

Pompey sank to the bottom of the First Division and Iran strangled Australia's World Cup dreams.

Now Venables has left Fratton Park, reportedly with a pay-off in the region of £250,000 after paying himself a "one-off performance related bonus" last year of £300,000.

Son of Fred

Venables, the "Son of Fred" to quote the title of his autobiography, grew up on a housing estate he and his street-corner pals called Corned Beef City. But he ended up in the caviar and champagne class.

Success as a player for Chelsea

As a player with Chelsea, Tottenham, Queens Park Rangers and Crystal Palace, he played for England at every level - schoolboy, amateur, youth, under-23 and senior.

As a manager he coaxed the London clubs QPR and Palace into forces to be reckoned with.

He also raised the stock of English coaching abroad to new levels by guiding Barcelona to the Spanish League title in his first year at the club - and getting a nickname that stuck, El Tel.

El Tel was a favourite with the Barcelona supporters.

He took Barcelona to the European Cup final, but they failed to get their hands on the top club trophy after losing on penalties.

It is the story of Venables' life. He never quite achieved all that others expected of him in football and he has never achieved what he expected of himself in the boardroom .

The ban imposed by the High Court will mean he will have to wait at least seven years to realise those non-footballing dreams.
 

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