Everton boss Dave Moyes wants to shut down the Premiership to cater for the African Nations Cup.

Three Blues players, Joseph Yobo, Steven Pienaar and Ayegbeni Yakubu are in Ghana for the African tournament, and their absence is felt more keenly due to suspensions for Tim Cahill and Tony Hibbert.

Talk of FIFA moving other global tournaments in line with the European summer has rumbled on for a decade but Moyes - who fell foul of attempting to keep Pienaar for an extra game before his departure - has offered an alternative solution given the increasing number of African players in the English top-flight.

"We were embroiled in trying to get Stephen Pienaar out and everyone knows what happened there," Moyes said.

"You cannot win. But maybe now we have to consider if we close the Premier League season down during the African Nations Cup.

"That would be the correct respect for Africa and the players in it.

"If we want to bring players in from that part of the world we should be rightly allowed to do so, which we are, but it is not a fair playing field if you cannot field your best team."