Taiwo Awoniyi is in induced coma and receives intensive care after “urgent” surgery on a serious abdominal injury that mail sport can reveal could have been fatal.
The Nottingham Forest striker crashed into a position during the 2-2 draw Sunday with Leicester and, after several minutes of treatment, returned to action before being removed.
Forest confirmed on Tuesday that the 27 -year -old man suffered an urgent surgery after confirmation of the injury on Monday and that he was transported urgently to the hospital. Mail Sport understands that the initial signs are that surgery has been a success. In what is a complex medical process, doctors expected to finish the operation today.
The injury was of nature which, in some cases, can be fatal. Forest said the striker “recovers well”.
The club has accompanied this update with an attack on their own medical staff and those – including Gary Neville from Sky Sports – who criticized the owner Evangelos Marinakis to have entered the field and seeming to go up with the boss Nuno Espirito Santo.
Awoniyi could not be substituted because Forest had used their latest switch available to replace Elliot Anderson by Jota Silva. The striker tried to continue, but could not move properly while Forest continued a late winner who would have stimulated his hopes of qualification in the Champions League.
The Nottingham Forest striker, Taiwo Awoniyi, is in the induced coma after having undergone an urgent abdominal surgery
Awoniyi collided strongly with the post during the 2-2 draw with Leicester Sunday
He needed several minutes of treatment but played on despite the visible discomfort
After being let the last minutes play with 10 men, it appeared that Marinakis challenged Nuno full time.
But in a remarkable declaration, the club clarified things. He said: “The seriousness of Taiwo Awoniyi’s injury is a powerful recall of physical risks in the game and why the health and well-being of a player must always come first. This principle is not only a policy for us, it is the deeply anchored belief and conviction of our owner. For Evangelos Marinakis, it is not only a club, it is family, and he instills this message in each of us.
“This is why he was so personally and emotionally invested in the situation. His reaction was that of deep care, responsibilities and emotional investments in one of ours.
“He has not only seen this as an isolated incident, but something that reflected the values and unity of the whole team.
“In moments like that, he demonstrates his leadership, not only by words, but by action and presence.
“When he saw our player clearly in discomfort, he has become more and more difficult for him to stay on the sidelines.
“It was instinctive, human and a reflection of the quantity of this team and its inhabitants for him. He would also do it again if such an unhappy event had to happen again.
“There was no confrontation, with Nuno or others, whether in the field or inside the stadium. There was only a shared frustration between us all that the medical team should never have allowed the player to continue.
Evangelos Marinakis expressed his concern with regard to treatment with the medical staff of the injury
“In light of this, we urge the old coaches and players, and other public figures of the game, to resist the urge to rush to the judgment and the false news online, especially when they do not have the facts and the context.
“Based and poorly informed indignation for the end of the personal traction of social media is not used, especially the injured player. We call these influential voices to show the same respect for the well-being of the players that they often demand from others. Let the concern will arise before the comments.
Shortly after the exchange between Nuno and Marinakis, Neville had written on social networks: “Scandalous of this forest owner. Nuno should go negotiate his release this evening with him! Fans, players and the forest manager do not deserve it.
To make matters worse, Awoniyi’s incident came after Anthony Elaga, whose Cross Awoniyi continued, was allowed to advance despite being clearly offside.
The game continued due to the assistant referee who delayed the increase in the flag, as the officials were invited to do so.
The two abandoned points could prove crucial for the forest. Even if they win their two remaining games, they count on others to abandon points to make places in the Champions League.
