Senegal ban El-Hadji Diouf for five years

Senegal have banned El-Hadji Diouf and Blackburn's manager, Steve Kean, said it was time for the player to leave the club. 

El-Hadji Diouf's international career appears to be over after the Senegal Football Federation banned him for five years from all football-related activity in his home country.

The decision, announced on the federation's website, came after the 30-year-old Diouf reacted angrily to the federation's claims that he had failed to appear for a disciplinary hearing last week.

The committee wanted to ask Diouf about comments he had made on Radio France International, in which he claimed that "the whole system of African football is corrupt".

The federation claimed Diouf had been called to a hearing on 20 July but the Blackburn forward said he had heard nothing of it and then told the French magazine Stade he would "go to war" with the FSF if it took further action.

The FSF said Diouf is banned "from performing any football-related activity for a period of five years with effect from the date of notification of this decision".

It remains possible, according to the FSF, that the decision could be reversed if Diouf were to appear before the disciplinary committee.

The news comes as Diouf's club career hangs in the balance. He has been fined by Blackburn for failing to report on time for pre-season training and was left out of their pre-season tour to Hong Kong.

Steve Kean, the Rovers manager, said in an interview with Sky Sports this week that he thought it was time for Diouf to leave the club, indicating that inquiries have been made by other clubs.