Nigerian football problems more of technical, administration, Troost-Ekong declares

By our reporter 3.10.2026

Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has called for a stronger structure that supports Nigeria football development if the country hopes to achieve results.
Troost-Ekong who quit the national team after Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, said talents was the least problem Nigerians should worry about.
“The team needs the structure and the backbone, and we can’t just rely on the talent alone because I think we’ve managed to cover a lot of gaps over the years,” said Troost-Ekong during a live broadcast on beIN Sports.
“We’re at a point where we need to see some consistency, I think, from the top down, talking from the federation to the coach to this group of players. I think the talent is there in abundance,” he said.
Despite the seeming struggles of the team Troost-Ekong said it alright for the NFF to keep coach Éric Chelle.
“I think what we’re seeing now is still some uncertainty about how things are prepared for the team. I think that appointing Eric Chelle now for the long term has been the right thing to do. He’s also in charge of the Olympic team,” he added.
The former defender praised the coach’s understanding of emerging players and highlighted the performances of George Ilenikhena and Moses Usor, who both made their senior international debuts against Madagascar and scored in Nigeria’s 2-1 comeback victory.
“He understands the young players coming through. We had some fantastic players that showed themselves and had a great debut, especially against Madagascar, scoring a winning goal,” the former Watford star revealed.