Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong said on Saturday that the Africa Cup of Nations should "100% be more respected", says
The Watford centre-back said seeing Premier League players being asked if they would honour their national call-ups had been "difficult".
Troost-Ekong is set to lead Nigeria out against seven-time champions and 2017 finalists Egypt on Tuesday in his first major tournament as captain.
"If it was the Euros or any other tournament, I don't think there would be any kind of conversation like this," he told Football Focus. "That would be ludicrous."
"I can understand it to an extent because we are leaving during the season, which is probably different to other major tournaments that are happening. But people already knew that it was going to be in January, for a long time," Troost-Ekong said.
"Unfortunately, I think quite a lot has been taken away from the tournament and the excitement that should have been there because of those questions."
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