Joe Kinnear, the former football manager, has died at the age of 77. He had been battling dementia since 2015, going public about his struggle with the disease in an interview with Telegraph Sport in 2021.
A statement from Kinnear’s family read: “We are sad to announce that Joe passed away peacefully this afternoon surrounded by his family.
“Joe, who was 77, had been suffering from dementia having been diagnosed in 2015.
“He will be remembered fondly by many – both as a player and a manager.
“His Wimbledon team finishing sixth in the 1993-94 Premier League was a phenomenal achievement.”
Kinnear spent most of his playing career at Tottenham Hotspur, where he won the FA Cup in 1967. After retiring as a player in 1976 he moved into management, first overseas at clubs in the UAE and Malaysia, then briefly taking charge of India and Nepal. He returned to the UK in 1989 to become assistant manager at Doncaster Rovers.
Kinnear’s big break in management came with Wimbledon, where his greatest achievement was the sixth-place finish in the Premier League in 1996.
Kinnear also spent a year as Nottingham Forest manager before moving to Newcastle United in 2008 after the resignation of Kevin Keegan. He remained at the club until 2009 when he was hospitalised and had to have a heart bypass operation. He returned to Newcastle as director of football in 2013 and held that position until 2014.