What Troost-Ekong said about the appointment of Finidi George as Super Eagles head coach 

Dutch-born central defender William Troost-Ekong has reacted to the appointment of Ajax Amsterdam legend Finidi George as the new head coach of the Nigerian national team.

Troost-Ekong and Finidi are not strangers to each other as the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations winner spent 20 months as assistant to José  Peseiro before the Portuguese voluntarily left the post following the expiry of his contract at the end of February 2024. 

The PAOK star has yet to play under Finidi, having been left out of the squad for the March internationals against Ghana and Mali. 

Troost-Ekong has not been called up for Nigeria's double-header in June against South Africa and Benin due to a lack of match fitness following his recovery from a long-term injury.

The defender stated that Finidi's appointment is a step in the right direction, noting that the last three winners of the Africa Cup of Nations - Algeria, Senegal, and Ivory Coast - were led by local coaches.

Speaking to  Arise News  on Thursday, Troost-Ekong said: "I think it's great that we have a Nigerian coach that's been appointed as Super Eagles head coach.

"The last three AFCONs have shown that every time someone has won they have had an ex-player or someone who has been associated to the country or born there to be coaching the team.

"You need to have that understanding of the culture. Maybe also with Nigerian, the magnitude, the pressure that you have playing in green-white-green.

"We are all very happy to see Finidi George get the coaching job now, but then also we have to give props to Jose Peseiro. Throughout our difficult moment, still came out producing a team that did very well in the tournament."

Troost-Ekong concluded by expressing his disappointment over Nigeria's loss to Ivory Coast in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final and reckons that the Super Eagles can win a fourth continental title next year.

"Of course all of us wanted to come home with the trophy, that's the only thing that's still a heartbreak that I am going to live with but at the same time motivating for that group of players to have that experience to play in the final, to do so well and carry that nation forward, and reignite the belief and hope in Nigerian football 

"I'm really looking forward to the 2025 AFCON in Morocco next summer and I have a really strong belief that coach Finidi can help us get the trophy back home."

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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