Kaizer Chiefs fans have questioned the club’s explanation for Renaldo Leaner’s absence from their crucial CAF Confederation Cup second-leg clash against Red Arrows on Friday evening.

Amakhosi announced their starting XI minutes before kick-off, but the absence of Leaner, who had impressed since stepping in for the injured Brandon Petersen last month, raised eyebrows among supporters.

The goalkeeper had featured in three matches since replacing Petersen and had delivered encouraging performances, making his late withdrawal a talking point ahead of the decisive encounter.

Chiefs subsequently confirmed that Leaner had sustained an injury during preparations for the match and would be replaced by Bruce Bvuma.

The club also welcomed the return of Petersen and Lebohang Maboe, who were named among the substitutes.

“Chiefs will be buoyed by the recovery of Brandon Petersen and Lebohang Maboe, whose presence adds depth and options for coach Fernando Da Cruz on the bench.

“However, Amakhosi will be without Renaldo Leaner, who sustained an injury during yesterday’s preparations for this crucial fixture,” the club said in a statement on X.

The explanation, however, did little to convince some Chiefs supporters, with several questioning the timing of the reported injury.

Some fans linked Leaner’s absence to his exchange with teammate Reeve Frosler following Amakhosi’s 1-0 defeat to Red Arrows in the first leg in Zambia.

While the club cited an injury as the reason for his withdrawal, supporters took to social media to express their suspicions.

Fans feel Leaner was dropped by Chiefs after altercation

One fan, posting under the handle @Dashin57, wrote: “We are not fools. But atleast you will be out of CAF competition.”

Another supporter, @Vhakhonimajor, suggested that the incident involving Frosler was behind the goalkeeper’s absence.

“There is no injury. The boy was bullied by Reeve Frosler, and the footage is there for everyone to see. Mark my words: even as a Kaizer Chiefs supporter, I fear we are heading out of this tournament because of these stupid internal squabbles once again,” the fan wrote.

Meanwhile, @Lerutla_shelton expressed frustration with the club’s communication, posting: “One thing about Kaizer Chiefs they think we are grade 1 school kids.”

Another supporter, @FsTebza, also questioned the explanation, writing: “We know when we are being lied to…”

The reaction highlights the growing frustration among sections of the Amakhosi fanbase, with Leaner’s late omission fuelling speculation about the circumstances surrounding his absence.

Chiefs though, maintained that Leaner was unavailable due to injury, and there has been no confirmation from the club that his omission was related to the incident involving Frosler.