Maraisane also off to Sweden
[caption id="attachment_76189" align="alignright" width="199"] ON THE MOVE: South Africa U20 player Pule Maraisane - Picture: GALLO IMAGES[/caption]
HIGHLY-RATED national under-20 star Pule Maraisane has become the latest export to Sweden after he signed a contract with second-tier GAIS.
The 20-year-old beat the Swedish transfer deadline by a matter of hours, with the club making the announcement on their website. He has signed a one-year contract with the option for an extra season.
Maraisane had been at Portuguese third-tier side GD Tourizense, but moves to Sweden having been recommended by Bo Nilsson, who worked with May Mahlangu at Helsingborg and has strong links to South Africa.
Maraisane featured for Amajita at the recent African Youth Championships in Senegal and is a product of Farouk Khan’s Stars of Africa Academy along with the likes of Tokelo Rantie, Mahlangu, Ayanda Nkili and Tefu Mashamaite.
And he has already come through some hardships despite his tender age. He spent two years out of the game before being sent to Brazil last year to work with former Bafana Bafana fitness trainer Chicco Gonzales, who finally got him right.
Khan says his ability to take on opponents and an eye for goal are his best attributes.
“He can take players on, score with both feet, has a very high work rate and is a very intelligent player,” Khan said. “He has a great attitude too. He was out of the game for two years and he still suffers from asthma, but he has never given up and continues to work as hard as ever.
“I played him just behind the strikers where he was unbelievable, but he has also done well as a wide attacker. I think we did not see the best of him at the African Youth Championship because our Under-20s played a lot of high balls.
“He is best when being served the ball to feet and he will get that in Sweden. He must just adjust to the more physical European game.”
GAIS, which stands for Göteborgs Atlet-och Idrottssällskap (Gothenburg Athletics and Sports Association), are one of the grand old clubs of Sweden, even if they have fallen on hard times recently.
They are coached by Swede PerOla Ljung, who has previously worked with Mahlangu at Helsingborg and Nkili at Orebro.
Maraisane is the third South African in the Swedish league at present after Nkili and Junaid Sait (Falkenbergs).
Mahlangu, Surprise Ralani, Ebrahim Seedat, Mark Mayambela, Xolani Mdaki and Sive Phekezela all played there last year but have left.
-Nick Said
