Diouf: I will stab you!

El-Hadji Diouf threatened to stab Anton Ferdinand in a vicious fight. The bust-up took place at a post-match meal after Sunderland’s 1-0 midweek win against Fulham.

A senior player said: “It was worse than anything I have ever seen and when they were pulled apart El-Hadji shouted that he would stick Anton with a knife.”

No knife was brandished but the severity of the fight has left the Sunderland squad shocked.

The bust-up continued the next day in training and boss Ricky Sbragia sold the Senegal striker, 28, to Blackburn for £2million just 24 hours later.

England Under-21 star Ferdinand was the innocent victim in the feud which began during Tuesday’s match. The pair accused each other of a lack of effort and the tear-up continued after the game in the dressing room.

Our source added: “It started during the game but El-Hadji clearly felt it wasn’t finished. It all kicked off. But the fight escalated extremely quickly and became very violent.

“At first we thought it was best to let them get it out of their system.

“But it became so vicious we feared that Anton could end up with serious injuries and El-Hadji was pulled off him.

“The squad was left stunned by what we had witnessed. Nobody spoke. None of us were surprised when we heard El-Hadji had been sold to Blackburn.”

Diouf — bought by previous boss Roy Keane for £2.6million from Bolton last July — has a controversial past.

But Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce is convinced he can win over the fans at Ewood Park. The pair spent three years together at Bolton and Big Sam insisted: “He is a talented player.

“He can be a little wayward but hopefully I’ll be able to control him, as I did at Bolton.”

Anton’s brother Rio has been a long-term campaigner against knife crime.

In 2006 the Manchester United and England defender launched an anti-weapons initiative for kids called ‘Respect your life, not a knife.’

He was also a founder of the Damilola Taylor Trust, set up in 2000 after the murder of the 10-year-old in Peckham, where the Ferdinands grew up.

And last year he joined Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and other England stars in the ‘It doesn’t have to happen’ anti-knife campaign.