Former Liverpool striker El Hadji Diouf has been beaten up by a gang of youths in a Dakar restaurant.

The Modern Ghana website has reported that the 32-year-old, who now plays for Leeds United, was enjoying a night out in an 'upscale area of the jetset in Dakar' when he was set upon at around 4.30am by a gang of youths who bundled him into the toilets before beating him seriously.

A witness who saw Diouf's bodyguards - reportedly Senegalese wrestlers - come to his aid, said Diouf was drunk and shouting, "You're all zero, you're poor, you're not connected".

Workers and restaurant regulars confirmed the incident but said they preferred to stay anonymous for 'security reasons'.