Orlando Pirates part ways with right-back Deano van Rooyen confirmed

Orlando Pirates have parted ways with right-back Deano van Rooyen. The club are top of the 2026 South African Premier Soccer League table with seven points from three matches, having won two and drawn one, with six goals scored and one conceded.

Van Rooyen’s departure comes while Pirates remain unbeaten in their league campaign. Their opening results have placed them first, ahead of the next phase of the season with a positive goal difference of five.

The club’s five most recent listed results across their fixtures show a different pattern. Pirates began that sequence with a 1-0 defeat by Al Suqoor, then beat Las Palmas 1-0. They subsequently lost 3-2 to Al-Ittihad FC and 2-1 to Cadiz before drawing 1-1 with Cordoba.

Those results leave Pirates with one win, one draw and three defeats across the five-match sequence. Their league record, however, remains the stronger measure of their position: two victories and a draw have put them at the summit after three rounds.

The team’s next scheduled match is against Sekhukhune United in the MTN8 on 22 August 2026. It will be Pirates’ first listed fixture after the decision to part ways with Van Rooyen.

Van Rooyen’s exit therefore comes against the backdrop of a side leading the league but carrying mixed recent form outside that three-match PSL record. Pirates will continue their 2026 campaign without the right-back when they meet Sekhukhune United.