West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce fears for African football after the riots this week.

Violent clashes in last week's qualifier against Ivory Coast saw the match abandoned in Dakar, with Manchester City's Yaya Toure among those now considering quitting playing for his country at the African Nations Cup in January.

And even though Senegal midfielder Mohamed Diame is fighting fit for West Ham in tomorrow's clash with Southampton, Allardyce has called for the problem to be addressed by the powers that be.

He said: "It's always been a bigger concern than any other tournament because of the volatile nature of those nations.

"It's very difficult for those players to be brave enough to retire because of the intense pressure that they or their families may be put under.

"They've got to be very careful about what they do. The governing body needs to sort it out and have sanctions to suit the crime."