Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong, has called forocal coach to handle the Nigerian men’s national team.
William Troost-Ekong, the first defender to be named Africa Cup of Nations Player of the Tournament since 2002, said this while speaking with Eagles FM, in reaction to the debate surrounding Nigeria’s next permanent head coach appointment.
The Super Eagles vice-captain boosted his reputation amongst Nigerians after he played a significant role in his side’s run to the 2023 AFCON final in Ivory Coast.
He opined that a local coach could be the ideal situation due to their inherent understanding of the country’s culture and players.
“I said that because I have seen Senegal, for example, what they achieve with their coach. Ivory Coast now, they changed their coach in the middle of the tournament,” Troost-Ekong said.
“There is something that has to be said about a coach understanding the culture of a country, players, and daily route having been there before as a player, playing at the AFCON.”
Meanwhile, the 30-year-old defender, who plies his trade for Greek side PAOK, was also quick to acknowledge the merits of foreign coaching expertise, drawing from his positive experiences under former Super Eagles head coach, Gernot Rohr.
“On the other hand, I can’t dismiss having a foreign coach because my experience under Gernot Rohr was so very good. We went to the World Cup and AFCON semi-finals in Egypt,” Ekong added.
Ultimately, Troost-Ekong advocated for an open-minded approach, maintaining that the best decision should be made for the team, irrespective of nationalities or political leanings.
With interim manager Finidi George and Emmanuel Amuneke among the frontrunners for the vacant role, the Nigerian Football Federation has a crucial decision to make as they aim to build on the Super Eagles’ impressive AFCON 2023 campaign.
