Sundowns part ways with veteran midfielder Mabunda

It became apparent that Tiyani Mabunda’s exit from Mamelodi Sundowns was inevitable from last season where he did not feature at all for Masandawana.

It was even more glaring when he missed the DStv Premiership trophy presentation at Loftus Versfeld at the end of last season.

Phakaaathi then reported in May that Mabunda will be released by Sundowns at the end of the season.

Sundowns and Mabunda put an end to his eight-year stay at Chloorkop where he won five league titles, the Nedbank Cup and Telkom Knockouts twice, while he was the engine room at the heart of Sundowns’ midfield alongside captain Hlompho Kekana, when they won the 2016 Caf Champions League paired with the Super Cup the following year.

In a tribute video posted by Sundowns on Twitter, Mabunda said while he is leaving Chloorkop, he could come back as a coach one day.

Mabunda went on to describe his journey at Sundowns as a unique one, as he is one of the few players who were sent out on loan before cracking the star-studded Sundowns line-up.   

“My story is one the most unique stories to be told because when I came to this club, nobody really knew about me. I have been through any kind of up and down that you could ever think a player of Mamelodi Sundowns can go through,” said Mabunda.

“If you think about the bad times, you look at my story, if you think about the bad times, you look at my story. It is a really special journey that I have had with the club, through thick and thin, the club has always been in support of me and my career and I always had to give my all regardless of whether I am on the field of play or not. I have always been the number one supporter of the club.

“I feel that the time has come for me to move on to another stage of my life and another assignment that God will give me. It really is not easy to say goodbye, especially to a club that has given me so much… but every good thing does have an ending,” the 33-year-old added.  

Meanwhile, as reported earlier, Mabunda has attracted interest from Swallows FC and this website understands that talks have already started between him the the Birds.