With his loan spell at Simba SC officially wrapped up, South African midfielder Neo Maema has cleared the air on his next move amid mounting questions over his return to parent club Mamelodi Sundowns.
Maema spent the campaign on a season-long loan at Simba from parent club Sundowns. Despite a slow start to life in Tanzania, the midfielder established himself as a key figure in the side coached by Steve Barker.
While Simba lost out on the league title to bitter rivals Young Africans, they still managed to collect a double. This included securing the CRDB Bank Federation Cup with a 1-0 victory over Azam FC at the Gombani Stadium in Pemba, Zanzibar, on Saturday.
The 30-year-old was also part of the Simba squad that clinched the Muungano Cup after defeating arch-rivals Young Africans SC in April 2026. But his loan deal at Simba officially expired following Saturday’s final match of the season.
SIMBA SC ENGAGING WITH NEO MAEMA TO EXTEND HIS STAY IN TANZANIA
FARPost gathered that Simba and Maema have been locked in negotiations that could see the Bafana Bafana player extending his loan stay at the club. Maema was asked after the CRDB Bank Federation Cup triumph whether he would be at the club next season.
“No comment [laughs]. But anything is possible. I love the club, and we’ll just see how it goes. My wish is for Simba to win the league next season,” Maema told Tanzanian journalist Juma Ayo.
NEO MAEMA SATISFIED WITH SUCCESS AFTER FIRST SEASON IN EAST AFRICA
Maema also reflected on winning his second trophy at Simba under the guidance of Barker.
“I am actually very excited and very happy. It was not easy because we were playing against a team that was looking forward to the final, and they made it very difficult for us,” he added. “I am happy because out of the three trophies, we got two. We were disappointed last week [after losing the league to Yanga], this week we are very happy to win.”
“We knew that we had to push until the end of the season. It was two points [difference] and congratulations to Yanga for taking the league.
“But we had to shift our minds very quickly because the [CRDB Bank Federation Cup] final was just four days away. So we had to come here and make sure that we gave our best performance because it was the last game of the season. We also needed to win this one for our supporters.”
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