He will be rooting for his native Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations but Town defender Ibrahima Sonko is unlikely to follow the action on the box.

The competition gets under way this weekend but Sonko is no fan of televised football. He said: “I don’t watch much football on the TV. To be honest I find it boring because you don’t get the feeling, the atmosphere, of the occasion.

“The football will be of a very high standard and it means a lot to the African people. Teams like Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Nigeria qualified easily and if they up their game it could be a great tournament.

“I want Senegal to win. I have played for my country but not in this competition. I was in the squad four years ago but I was always on the bench and never played.”

Sonko, who was just six years old when he moved with his family to France, was also included in the Senegalese squad in 2006 but on that occasion decided to put his club, Reading, first and was rewarded when he helped them to clinch the Championship title and book their place in England’s top flight for the very first time.

Meanwhile, the strapping central defender has spoken of his shock at being handed the captain’s armband for the recent home clash with Blackpool.

He added: “It was a very big surprise for me but I was happy and it meant a lot. I was the captain but we need every player to be like a captain. We all want the same thing and we all want it badly.”

Story syndicated from TWTD.co.uk

Photo: Action Images

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