The West Ham striker Diafra Sakho will not play in the Africa Cup of Nations because of the back problem Sam Allardyce believes was aggravated by mistreatment by Senegal’s team doctors in November.
Sakho did not travel with the Senegal squad to Morocco on Wednesday, where they will finalise their preparations for the tournament in Equatorial Guinea. Alain Giresse, the Senegal manager, said: “He can’t travel because of the back injury, so we can’t take him.”
Sakho returned from international duty in November with pain in his back – the result, according to a furious Allardyce, of a medical “mishap” from the Senegal staff. West Ham have had legal conversations with the Senegal football federation.
Sakho, who has scored nine goals since his £3.5m move from Metz last summer, reaggravated the problem in the club’s 1-1 draw at West Bromwich Albion on New Year’s Day.
Alex Song has given West Ham a boost by retiring from international football. Cameroon had tried to convince the midfielder to play in the Africa Cup but Song, who is on loan from Barcelona, said he wanted to focus on his club career.
