Super Eagles and Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi is reportedly in an induced coma and receiving intensive care after undergoing emergency surgery for a serious abdominal injury.
The 27-year-old Nigerian international sustained the injury during Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Leicester City after crashing into the goalpost. Despite receiving treatment on the pitch, Awoniyi briefly returned to action before being substituted due to worsening discomfort. Nottingham Forest confirmed on Tuesday, May 13, that he underwent urgent surgery after medical scans revealed the severity of the injury. He was immediately rushed to the hospital.
According to Mail Sport, the initial signs suggest that the surgery was successful, though doctors described the operation as complex and potentially life-threatening in some cases. Forest stated that Awoniyi is “recovering well.”
In the aftermath, the club publicly criticized their own medical staff for allowing the striker to continue playing after the collision. Forest had already used their final substitution to replace Elliot Anderson with Jota Silva, leaving Awoniyi to continue despite his visible discomfort. When he was eventually forced off, Forest were left with 10 men during the closing minutes of a match crucial to their Champions League hopes.
Following the final whistle, club owner Evangelos Marinakis appeared visibly upset and entered the pitch, seemingly to confront head coach Nuno Espírito Santo. The club later released a statement defending Marinakis’s actions and condemning the handling of the situation by the medical team.
“The seriousness of Taiwo Awoniyi’s injury is a powerful reminder of the physical risks in football and why a player’s health must always come first,” the statement read. “This is not just policy for us, but a deeply held conviction of our owner. To Evangelos Marinakis, this club is family.”
The club emphasized that Marinakis’s reaction stemmed from personal concern and emotional investment rather than confrontation, and urged public figures to refrain from speculative commentary.
“We call on influential voices to prioritize concern over commentary. Baseless outrage and misinformation do nothing to help the player. Let us all show the same respect for player welfare that we demand from the sport itself.”
