Barker was a professional footballer in the 1960s, playing for Durban City having made his debut at the age of 17. He had a trial with Leicester City, but a serious knee injury quickly ended his career.
Manager
He became a manager in the 1970s, coaching numerous clubs in South Africa, including Durban City, Manning Rangers, AmaZulu and Santos. During his club career he won two league championships and two league cups. He was one of the first white managers in the South African league.
He took over as manager of the South Africa national football team in 1994. He took the South African national team to their only African Nations Cup title in 1996, with a 2-0 victory in the final against Tunisia. Under his guidance South Africa qualified for their first ever World Cup in 1998 in France. However, they went out in the group stage having picked up judt two points from three games. Following this he was fired and replaced by Jomo Sono.