Former Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong, says he wants to move into football administration after retirement, arguing that Nigerian football will benefit more if former players take up leadership positions within the game’s governing bodies.
The former Nigeria captain, who ended his international career in 2025 after making 83 appearances, said he has already started preparing for life after football through educational programmes organised by the English Football Association. Rather than becoming a coach, Ekong said his ambition is to influence the game from the boardroom.
“I have had so many people ask me about coaching the team, I am not sure that is something that I really want to do,” Ekong told Brila FM.
“I think there also need to be players that think about going one level above that, whether it is going to be in the boardroom, whether it is going to be working with federations, with FIFA, with CAF, whether the NFF. I think that is probably where you can make the biggest change.”
The centre-back admitted that football administration in Africa is often shaped by politics but maintained that former players have the experience needed to help drive meaningful progress if they are given the opportunity.
“It is a difficult landscape because in African football there is also a lot of politics involved. We have so many ex-players who have a great understanding of the game. I do not think we have seen enough ex-players getting involved from the top. For me in Nigerian football, it is about finding ways that we can collaborate and enhance the federation because we have been there; we have seen it,” he said.
Ekong pointed to former AC Milan and Ukraine star Andriy Shevchenko, Cameroon legend Samuel Eto’o and Brazilian icon Zico as examples of players who successfully moved into football administration after retirement.
“What I would love to do now, and the way I am preparing this part of my career, is to try and find ways where I can be part of the solution to see Nigeria reach bigger heights than we did when I was a player,” he added.
Ekong enjoyed a distinguished international career, representing Nigeria at the 2016 Olympic Games, the 2018 FIFA World Cup and several Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. He also captained the Super Eagles to a second-place finish at the 2023 AFCON, where he was named the competition’s Best Player.
His remarks come as discussions continue over the state of football administration in Nigeria following the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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