Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has called for greater consistency and stronger structures across Nigerian football, stressing that the country already possesses an abundance of talent.
Troost-Ekong made the remarks during a live broadcast on beIN Sports, stressing that consistency must be maintained across the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the coaching setup and the players representing the national team.
“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.
Troost-Ekong also pointed to uncertainty surrounding the organisation of the national team while backing the decision to retain Éric Chelle for the long term.
Chelle agreed a new arrangement with the NFF in June 2026 that also placed him in charge of Nigeria’s Under-23 team, with the structure intended to create a pathway between the youth and senior national teams.
“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.
Troost-Ekong, who retired from international football in December 2025 after a decade with the Super Eagles, further stressed that Nigeria cannot depend solely on the individual quality within its squad.
“So that consistency is number one. But I do think that 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.”
He added that weaknesses could become increasingly visible over time if the necessary structures are not established, particularly as competition among African national teams continues to develop.
“But now, over time, those things will get exposed and, yeah, they need to have the right structure around it because for any team playing in Africa, the level is continuously increasing from the other teams.”
Troost-Ekong concluded by urging Nigeria to create the conditions necessary to maximise its chances in competitive matches and called for consistency from the current coaching setup.
“So you need to make sure that you give yourself the best opportunity to win. And I think now, with this coach, hopefully they can find some consistency and take the qualifiers seriously from the beginning. And then I think we’re all going to see some great things from Nigeria again," he concluded.
Wale Adejumo
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