Maritzburg confirm the signing of Stellenbosch captain

Maritzburg United have confirmed the signing of Stellenbosch FC captain Rafiq de Goede, with the Team of Choice looking to strengthen their defence for the remainder of the DStv Premiership season.

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De Goede joins Maritzburg after his shocking exit from Stellies, where he was named club captain at the start of the season. The Cape side, however, announced at the beginning of December that they had decided to sell him.

After announcing the defender on Wednesday, Maritzburg said De Goede’s athleticism make him a physical centre-back and they will surely be hoping he puts a stop to their leaking defence with his addition.

“De Goede Signs with the Team of Choice. Maritzburg United Football Club is delighted to announce the new addition of Rafiq De Goede. The former @StellenboschFC skipper’s athleticism makes him a quick and physical Centre Back,” the club said on their official Twitter page.

Relegation battle

The Team of Choice have been struggling this campaign and the club finds itself rooted at the bottom of the league standings, and many may wonder why De Goede decided to leave Stellies for a relegation threatened side.

But Maritzburg and Stellies are only separated by four points, with the Mother City-based club occupying 11th spot on the league table with 16 points, whereas the Team of Choice are on 11 points.

The club from KwaZulu-Natal are desperate to move up the log, and De Goede’s signing issomething that might work for them in defence, but they have also been struggling with finding goals upfront.

In their last 14 matches, they have only scored seven goals, while conceding 21 in the process. To make matters worse, they returned to the DStv Premiership on a bad note as they lost 2-1 to TS Galaxy in their last game.

Next up for the Team of Choice is an away clash against Marumo Gallants at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Saturday.