New Zealand captain to miss Confederations Cup

New Zealand football captain Ryan Nelsen will miss next month’s Confederations Cup after tearing a calf muscle playing for Blackburn Rovers against Chelsea in the English premiership at the weekend.

The 31-year-old defender is likely to be out for the next four to six weeks, in what New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert said Thursday was a “massive blow” for the team.

“I think the confidence, leadership, competitiveness and experience that Ryan has against players of the calibre we are going to play is going to be missing now and that is going to be a massive loss for the team,” Herbert said in a statement.

New Zealand are due to play Spain, South Africa and Iraq in the tournament in South Africa, as well as a warm-up game against world champions Italy.

Nelsen ended a four-year absence from the All Whites against New Caledonia last year and said he was devastated he would not be playing in the Confederations Cup.

“I was really looking forward to playing. The Confederations Cup is great preparation for the World Cup playoff and I’m just gutted I wont be there now,” he said.

“It is so frustrating. I’ve felt really good this year and I think including internationals I have played close to 50 games this season.

“The body has been feeling really great but I suppose it was a heavy load and maybe it was God’s way of telling me I needed a break.”