Emami East Bengal FC signs Jordanian Hijazi Maher as Jordan Elsey's replacement

Emami East Bengal FC signed 26-year-old Jordanian centre-back Hijazi Maher as Jordan
Elsey's replacement for Indian Super League 2023-24. Maher is currently a member of the
Jordan senior national squad. He has played for the Jordan Premier League side Al-Hussein SC and the Iraq Premier League side Zakho SC on loan. Maher featured in 29 matches and scored 5 goals last season.
The tall defender has won two Jordan FA Cups and a Jordan Super Cup. He also holds the record
for the most minutes played by a player in the 2021 season.

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East Bengal welcomes Hijazi Maher

Sandeep Agrawal from Emami Group said, "After Elsey's unfortunate injury, we started working immediately to find the best replacement in the market at the given moment. Hijazi is a great young talent and a regular member of the Jordan national team camps. We believe he will play a huge role in bolstering our defence."

Head Coach Carles Cuadrat welcomed Maher to the Emami East Bengal family, by saying, "After
playing in the Iraq Premier League last season, the Jordan international player was ready to
keep playing in another interesting Asian league to have the opportunity to show his talent and
be ready for a national team call-up. Only some fortunate circumstances and quick action from
Emami allowed me to travel to Jordan in 48 hours and find him as a free agent at that moment.
It's nice to find a solution to Elsey's injury in a young player who is ready to fight for a place and
wants to make an impact in Indian football."

Hijazi Maher said, "I am very happy to join this historic club and play in the Indian Super League. I thank the coach and the club for giving me the opportunity to play here. Everyone can see the huge popularity that the league has garnered in recent times. I'm very excited to meet the fans and play in the iconic Kolkata derby."