Kaizer Chiefs' loss on Saturday evening hurt more than the scoreline suggests, after defender Reeve Frosler stepped up to take a penalty and sent his kick wide. The miss left Naturena stunned and his teammates staring at the turf.

According to the report, a member of the coaching staff, who has not been named, noticed something worrying even before Frosler placed the ball on the spot. The claim is that his movement looked slow and his stride looked heavy, as if he was doubting himself. Critics say the senior players in the dressing room should have stepped in before he made the walk to the penalty mark.

A football analyst close to the club spoke about the issue on Monday. He said leadership inside the squad is thin. "The question is whether we have genuine leadership among those players," he told reporters. In his view, no senior voice came forward to protect a teammate who was clearly struggling.

The discussion has also brought back a story about the late Ace Ntsolengoe, a respected figure in South African football. During his time as a coach, he reportedly took a player aside before an important penalty and told the coach that the chosen taker did not have the mental sharpness needed at that moment. That saved the player from possible embarrassment. Many Chiefs supporters feel this kind of protective instinct is missing in the current squad, where they believe players are more concerned with impressing than with looking after one another.

Frosler now has to carry the miss into training, team meetings and every match that follows. It is a burden no player should have to bear alone. It is also not clear if the claims about his condition before the kick are accurate, since they come from an unnamed source.

For Chiefs supporters in Soweto and beyond, the main questions remain. Will head coach Nasreddine Nabi review how he picks penalty takers? And will a senior player find the courage to speak up the next time a teammate is in that position?

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