Footballer's match for ferry victims

Aliou Cisse lost 11 members of his family

Birmingham City's star Aliou Cisse is to play in a fundraising match for the victims of last month's ferry disaster near Gambia which killed 1,000 people.

Cisse lost 11 members of his own family, including his sister, in the tragedy but kept it a secret from his team-mates in the run-up to Saturday's game against West Ham.

Hours after helping his team to victory, he flew home for the funerals of his sister and 10 other relatives.

Cisse's family had been onboard a ferry travelling from South Senegal to the capital Dakar when it capsized.

Massive courage

Initial investigations have blamed the disaster on overcrowding, poor safety procedures and bad weather.

Cisse will play for Senegal against Nigeria this weekend in a charity match for the victims of the disaster.

The 26-year-old Senegalese captain, who took his side to the quarter-finals in this summer's World Cup, was signed by the Blues for £1.5m.

City manager Steve Bruce said his player had shown massive courage.