Nigerian captain William Troost-Ekong has hit back at criticism from former Watford teammate Troy Deeney following the Super Eagles’ 4–1 victory over Gabon, SportPremi reports.
Deeney, a former teammate of Ekong at English club Watford, had questioned the defender’s leadership skills ahead of the clash against the Panthers on Thursday.
The Super Eagles players had boycotted training on Tuesday over unpaid wages and bonuses, but resumed action again on Wednesday.
READ ALSO: Troost-Ekong: “We all want to go to the World Cup” ahead of Nigeria vs DR Congo playoff
During an interview session, Deeney, as well as former Sierra Leone international Michael Lahoud had both expressed doubts over the quality of Ekong as a leader for the national team.
Nigeria went ahead to record a 4-1 victory over Gabon at the Moulay Hassan Stadium in Morocco on Thursday, setting up a final date against the Democratic Republic of Congo, who eliminated Cameroon in the other clash.
Ekong hits back at critics
William Troost-Ekong started the game on the bench, but was substituted into the match later on and helped Nigeria to the convincing win.
Speaking after the match, the Super Eagles captain expressed disappointment with the remarks made by Deeney ahead of the clash.
“And also for my teammate, I was slightly disappointed because I supported him when he was the captain of my team at Watford”, Ekong said.
“I’ve also gone on to captain Watford. So again, you could have just picked up the phone and called me.
If he didn’t respect me, then maybe we should take away the Nigeria shirt that I gave him.
“We have multiple leaders in this team. Victor Osimhen is a leader in his own right, and we also have Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi, and Moses Simon”, the Nigerian captain added.
“We have players who are really coming of age and showing what they can do. I don’t think you can just wipe something away because someone is on the bench; I’ve got 83 caps for Nigeria.”
Nigeria to face DR Congo in playoff final
The Super Eagles backed their 4-0 thrashing of Benin Republic by scoring four times in a game once more under Eric Chelle to continue their way towards the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
However, they will face a stern test against the Democratic Republic of Congo, who produced a shock result to eliminate Cameroon.
Chancel Mbemba’s late goal earned them the victory to set up the exciting clash with Nigeria, scheduled for the Moulay Hassan Stadium on Sunday night.
The winner of the clash advances to the intercontinental playoff rounds to determine who picks up the available ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
