Jay-Jay Okocha is a crucial player for both club and country
Bolton boss Sam Allardyce is preparing to ask Jay-Jay Okocha to retire from international football with Nigeria.
Allardyce is incensed that his captain will miss the Carling Cup semi-finals because of a training camp ahead of the African Nations Cup in Tunisia.
"The rules are so unfair, it just shouldn`t happen," said Allardyce.
"If I could get a court order, I`d go and get one tomorrow and slap it on Nigeria."
"The only thing I can do is if he retires and I will put the question to him."
"It`s probably a better thing that he doesn`t go there and stays with us and takes us through to the final."
Okocha is due to fly out shortly after the match against Manchester United on 7 January and could be away for five weeks.
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"It`sbeen a magnificent effort and once you get this far, you want your best players.
"He will probably say `no` to me because it is the African Nations Cup and it would be like asking a European player not to play in the European Championships. But he will have to have a serious think about it."
The final is being played in Cardiff on 29 February and Allardyce said: "He hasn`t played at the Millennium Stadium and I think it would wonderful for him to have it on his CV.
"If he gets there and sees what I mean, I think he`ll understand the reasons behind why I`m asking."
Nigeria, who have the Nations Cup finals twice before, have been drawn in Group D alongside Morocco, South Africa and debutants Benin.
The Nations Cup gets underway in Tunisia on 24 January and will end on 14 February.
