Africa Cup of Nations: West Ham insist Senegal striker Diafra Sakho's injury is genuine
Wednesday 14 January 2015 11:41, UK
West Ham assistant manager Neil McDonald says the back injury which has forced striker Diafra Sakho out of the Africa Cup of Nations is genuine.
Senegal Football Federation president Augustin Senghor has accused the club of a "lack of respect" over Sakho's withdrawal, complaining the decision was left until "the last minute".
Senghor said he would consult FIFA and the Football Association in a bid to prevent the player from appearing for West Ham during the tournament, which gets under way on January 17 with the final on February 8.
"We've been in constant contact with the Senegal federation," said McDonald.
"There's no way he can fly, he's obviously injured and he's going to miss the Africa Cup of Nations because of his injury and we're going to miss him because he's injured.
"We've been respectful, we've given them information and kept in constant contact with them. He's injured.
"We've asked them to come across and assess him. We've had independent scans done and scans from the club.
"We're not trying to stop anyone from going to represent their country."
Sakho missed Senegal's final qualifier for the tournament with a back injury, with Hammers boss Sam Allardyce describing the treatment he received for it while on international duty as "outrageous".
The 25-year-old subsequently missed three Premier League fixtures.
