Former Nigeria international Ifeanyi Udeze has criticised the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for excluding Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong from the 2024 Africa Team of the Year, insisting the defender fully deserved a place in the prestigious lineup.
Softfootball reports Troost-Ekong was one of Nigeria’s standout performers during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, captaining the Super Eagles to the final and earning the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award.
The experienced centre-back also scored Nigeria’s only goal in the final against hosts Cote d’Ivoire before the Elephants fought back to claim a 2-1 victory.
Speaking during an appearance on Brila FM, Udeze questioned the selection process, arguing that Troost-Ekong’s achievements should have guaranteed him automatic inclusion in the continental Best XI, he said:
Troost Ekong is the AFCON MVP; why isn’t he on the Africa best XI? He doesn’t need a vote; his place should be automatic.
The former defender maintained that the AFCON MVP award is the tournament’s highest individual honor and should carry significant weight when selecting the continent’s best eleven, describing Troost-Ekong’s omission as both surprising and difficult to justify.
