An Allegation That El Hadji Diouf Made a Racist Remark to a Ball Boy in Blackburn's Defeat to Everton Have Been Referred to the Football Association

El Hadji Diouf is facing possible sanction from both Merseyside police and the Football Association following an allegation that he made a racist remark to an Everton ball boy at Goodison Park yesterday.

The Blackburn Rovers forward, who was involved in a heated exchange with a ball boy during his side's 3-0 defeat, is believed to have discussed the incident with his manager, Sam Allardyce, at the club's training ground this morning. Neither Blackburn nor the FA have commented on the latest controversy to befall the Senegalese forward, although the incident has been referred to the association's disciplinary department.

Rovers are waiting for police to complete their investigation before they respond publicly. Officers intend to question the ball boy who lodged the complaint with his ground supervisor before deciding whether to charge Diouf. The supervisor forwarded the complaint to Everton officials, who in turn informed police before Diouf was interviewed in the company of a Blackburn official at Goodison.

The FA may also take the official match report from yesterday's game into consideration. Diouf's run-in with the ball boy occurred close to an assistant referee, who may be asked to help with inquiries.