Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has strongly criticised CBS Sports pundits Troy Deeney and Sierra Leonean analyst Michael Lahoud for what he described as their “disrespectful and uninformed” comments about his leadership within the Nigerian national team.
The controversy erupted ahead of Nigeria’s crucial semifinal clash against Gabon in the African World Cup Qualifying Play-off Tournament in Morocco.
The Super Eagles had boycotted Tuesday’s training session in Rabat as they continued to demand the payment of outstanding bonuses owed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). In the aftermath of the boycott, Lahoud and Deeney made remarks on CBS Sports Golazo, questioning Troost-Ekong’s authority and ability to lead the team during a turbulent period.
Lahoud took the first swipe, claiming Troost-Ekong lacked the qualities required of a modern captain and dismissing him as a “social media leader.” He went further to suggest that the only true leader in the current Super Eagles squad was Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.
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According to Lahoud, Osimhen possessed the charisma, influence, and fighting spirit that Nigeria needed to navigate their way past Gabon.
“This team needs to be unified. They’ve played like a team of individuals, but this is a team of divas,” Lahoud said on CBS Sports Golazo. “You need to have serious leadership, and the only leader in Nigeria right now is Victor Osimhen.
“William Troost-Ekong hasn’t stepped up as a leader. He’s a social media leader. The biggest thing he’s done in terms of leadership was when they had the debacle in Libya when they were left stranded at the airport. He did the press conferences, but on the field, he’s done zero talking. He hasn’t led from the back.”
Troy Deeney, who captained Troost-Ekong during their time at Watford, echoed Lahoud’s sentiments. While acknowledging Ekong as “a good guy” and “a good person,” Deeney insisted that the Super Eagles needed a tougher, more forceful personality to steer the team at a delicate moment.
“I worked with William Troost-Ekong at Watford. I don’t think he’s the one kicking down doors and saying, ‘This is what is going to happen,’” Deeney said. “In this moment, you need that nasty person, the one who’s going to say, ‘No, we’re not training, we are moving, and if any of you players do it, you’re going to fall out with me.’”
Troost-Ekong, however, reacted sharply to their assessments, describing Lahoud’s remarks as shallow and uninformed. He revealed that he had to look up Lahoud online because he was unfamiliar with him, insisting that the CBS analyst had failed to do any research before going on air to criticise him.
“It was very disrespectful,” Troost-Ekong said. “I had to Google who he was. If he had Googled and done his research about me, he would have had a different explanation.
“We have multiple leaders in this team. Victor Osimhen leads in his own way. Alex Iwobi, Moses Simon, these are players who lead. You cannot just wipe away everything because someone is sitting on the bench. I’ve got 83 caps for Nigeria.”
The Al-Kholood defender also expressed disappointment in Deeney, saying that his former teammate should have reached out privately if he had concerns.
“I was highly disappointed because I supported him when he was the captain at Watford, I’ve also gone on to captain Watford. Again, he could have just picked up the phone and called me,” he said
“If he didn’t respect me, maybe he should take away the shirt of Nigeria that I gave him. I don’t want to talk about it too much, but the most important thing was that we did what we wanted to do tonight.
“All these things serve as extra motivation, and the team is really united, and our focus is on the game on Sunday because we know that without that game on Sunday, this is not going to mean a lot.”
Troost-Ekong, 32, has seen limited playing time for the national team recently following the emergence of young centre-back Benjamin Fredrik. However, the former AFCON Player of the Tournament remains widely respected within the squad for his experience, calmness, and long-term commitment to the Super Eagles.
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