Mass exodus continues at Sundowns with Neo Maema’s exit

Mamelodi Sundowns have announced the departure of talented midfielder Neo Maema, continuing a significant player exodus for the 2025/26 season.

Maema’s exit was confirmed on Friday morning, a few hours after the club released Thembinkosi Lorch, who is set to make a permanent move to Wydad Casablanca.

The reigning Betway Premiership champions announced on Thursday night that they had parted ways with Lorch, allowing him to join a club of his choice. The Bafana Bafana international had joined Sundowns from Orlando Pirates in January 2024 but struggled to make a significant impact.

Sundowns have also decided to show Neo Maema the exit door, ending the player’s four-year tenure at the club. He had joined the Tshwane giants from the now-defunct Bloemfontein Celtic at the start of the 2021/22 season, made over 100 appearances for the club, tallying 13 goals and 14 assists across all competitions.

Maema’s time at Sundowns was highly successful, with his trophy haul including four league titles, the Nedbank Cup, the MTN8, and the African Football League (AFL).

𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨, 𝗡𝗘𝗢 👆💛

After 4️⃣ incredible years, 4️⃣ league titles, 1️⃣ Nedbank Cup, 1️⃣ MTN8, 1️⃣ African Football League title, 1️⃣2️⃣0️⃣ appearances, 1️⃣3️⃣ goals and 1️⃣4️⃣ assists, the Yellow Nation bids farewell to Neo Maema. 💛

We wish you success in the next step of your… pic.twitter.com/wYuYdtDyQ1

— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) August 15, 2025

In a social media post on Friday, Sundowns stated, “After four incredible years, four league titles, one Nedbank Cup, one MTN8, one African Football League title, 120 appearances, 13 goals, and 14 assists, the Yellow Nation bid farewell to Neo Maema. We wish you success in the next chapter of your career.”

The club’s recent squad changes also include the release of several other first-team players, such as Rivaldo Coetzee, Sanele Tshabalala, Sifiso Ngobeni, Lebohang Maboe, Thabang Sibanyoni, Sipho Mbule, Matias Esquivel, and Lucas Suarez.