Maritzburg United lose ex-Bafana Bafana star midfielder to Egyptian club

Maritzburg United have lost midfielder and former Bafana Bafana star Dylan Claasen to an unnamed Egyptian club ahead of next season.

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According to Maritzburg United chairman Farook Kadodia, the club couldn’t stand in the way of Claasen given the huge offer he’s got in Egypt.

Claasen leaves Maritzburg having featured 97 times for them while scoring nine times and providing six assists.

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MARITZBURG UNITED CONFIRM EGYPTIAN OFFER FOR CLAASEN

“It just did not seem right to try to keep him here on a much lower salary that what the Egyptians offered him,” said Kadodia to The Witness.

Claasen, 32, has been with the Team of Choice since his move from Bidvest Wits in July 2019, and he leaves having made a meangful contribution to the team.

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He had spent two years with Wits, and this was upon his return from Europe – Claasen spent eight years abroad between 2008 and 2017.

Meanwhile, the publication reports that goalkeeper Marcel Engelhardt has been released after John Maduka felt he could do without his services at Maritzburg United.

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Engelhardt was brought in by Ernst Middendorp in January 2021, and he featured regularly for the Team of Choice, and was actually crucial in their survival for relegation over the last two seasons.