Alex Song wants Africa Cup of Nations scrapped in wake of Ebola outbreak

West Ham United midfielder Alex Song has backed calls for this year's Africa Cup of Nations to be scrapped in the wake of the deadly Ebola outbreak.

The biannual tournament is without a host after Morocco pulled out over concerns of the virus spreading, with Ghana and South Africa both mooted as possible replacements, though there have been calls for the competition to be cancelled.

"If calling it off is the way to stop the spread of the virus then we have to do it. When you watch the TV you don't know where it is going next," Song told The Mirror.

"We have a lot of African players here in the UK and around in the world, if we can find a solution together to help the people we have to do it. You can't go somewhere and put your life and the lives of all the people coming in at risk.

"I am worried because I have a lot of friends in the affected regions. Some people say, 'It's only in Guinea, it's not going to come to Cameroon' but the truth is that people don't have any information because the information does not go everywhere. So something has to be done to help."

The Ebola virus has killed more than 4,500 people since the outbreak in West Africa.