Sport Headlines | Sadowski-Synnott wins Olympic silver, Netball NZ calls in Kereyn Smith to rebuild its board, and Pakistan reaches | Thursday, February 19, 2026.
All Whites midfielder Sarpreet Singh has been ruled out for up to eight weeks and is likely to miss New Zealand’s football matches against Finland and Chile.
The 26-year-old was forced off early in the second half of his first game back with the Wellington Phoenix in seven years aftera strong challenge from Western Sydney Wanderers defender Phillip Cancar.
Singh returned to the club on loan from Serbian outfit TSC to secure more game time ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
The Phoenix confirmed Singh suffered an injury to his medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee in Friday night’s 2-2 draw.
Fullback Tim Payne has also been sidelined with a hamstring injury, meaning both internationals are unavailable for the New Zealand derby against Auckland FC.
Singh’s replacement, Corban Piper, helped spark a comeback against Western Sydney Wanderers on Friday, with goals from Bill Tuiloma and Ifeanyi Eze enough to secure a draw and keep the Phoenix off the bottom of the A-League ladder.
After 17 games, Wellington sit in 10th place on 20 points, just one point ahead of the Central Coast Mariners, who have a game in hand.
The club’s only win in their past five league matches came in a 2-0 away win against Sydney FC on January 18.
Since then, the Phoenix have conceded 10 goals and picked up only two points.
The Wellington team will face an Auckland FC going through a rough patch themselves, having picked up only one win in their past five games – also against Sydney FC.
However, Auckland FC sit in a much stronger position on the A-League ladder and are currently in second place, four points behind leaders Newcastle Jets.
