William Troost Ekong Opens Up on Rift With Jose Peseiro Before AFCON 2023

• William Troost Ekong has spoken about his fallout with Jose Peseiro
• The Nigeria vice-captain was sidelined from the Super Eagles for one year
• Ekong was voted as the Player of the Tournament at AFCON 2023

William Troost-Ekong was close to not getting named in Nigeria's squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations because of a rift with manager Jose Peseiro.

The 30-year-old defender played a crucial role in Nigeria's run to the final of the continental competition in Ivory Coast, scoring three goals in the process.

According to Complete Sports, Ekong has disclosed he was not on talking terms with Peseiro for a while after having his pride and ego hurt by the Super Eagles manager.

“[It] resulted in us not actually speaking for a few months. That was the time where my pride and ego, I think maybe got the better of me. I thought about stopping.

Troost Ekong backs Jose Peseiro to continue as Super Eagles coach

Football

“Thankfully, I’ve got a good group of people around me who took me out of it. It made me think about my younger self and, how much it meant and how proud I was to play my first game [for Nigeria]."

Ekong was crowned as the Player of the Tournament after leading Nigeria to the silver medal at the 2023 AFCON.

Ekong's rift with Peseiro explained

Meanwhile, Ekong was sidelined from the Super Eagles for one year after the defender had reacted badly to being benched for younger defenders.

The PAOK defender was benched in Nigeria’s final AFCON 2023 qualifying fixture against Sao Tome and Principe in September.

Furthermore, Ekong was totally omitted from the squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Lesotho and Zimbabwe the following month, where the team played out a 1-1 draw in both games.

Troost-Ekong identifies Nigeria’s weakness in final defeat against Ivory Coast

Football

The Super Eagles vice-captain was also not included in Peseiro's squad for the international friendlies against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique before he ended his rift with the former Nigeria coach.

NFF increase offer for Peseiro

As reported by Sports Brief, the NFF has sent an improved contract offer to Peseiro, after failing to reach an agreement before the expiration of his previous contract.

According to the report, the 63-year-old manager is seeking a salary in the range of $120,000, as well as compensation for his first assistant, marking a significant increase from the $50,000 he received under his previous contract.

In response, the NFF has made an offer in the region of $80,000 to the former Real Madrid assistant manager. Additionally, it was noted this offer has the endorsement of the current Minister of Sports, John Enoh, who shares a close relationship with Peseiro.