Overview
- The two-leg tie finished 1-1 on aggregate and, in a shootout decided Friday, Zambian side Red Arrows beat Kaizer Chiefs 3-2 on penalties.
- Chiefs announced Renaldo Leaner would not play minutes before the second leg and said he sustained an injury, with Bruce Bvuma starting and Brandon Petersen plus Lebohang Maboe named on the bench.
- Many supporters publicly questioned the club’s injury explanation and circulated claims that Leaner’s omission followed an on-field exchange with teammate Reeve Frosler.
- Sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jr. issued a formal statement reaffirming full support for head coach Fernando Da Cruz and his technical team despite the elimination and fan unrest.
- The result compounds a run of poor form for Chiefs in cup and league play and raises the prospect of urgent pressure on Da Cruz to improve results in coming matches.