Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi has been placed in induced coma after having an urgent salary on a serious abdominal injury, the BBC reports.
In a statement on Tuesday, May 13 night, the English Football Club said the 27-year-old Nigeria international is “recovering well so far”.
The 1.83 meter-tall striker collided with the post in the 88th minute of Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Leicester at City Ground. He was trying to get on the end of a sumptuous cross from Anthony Elanga.
“The seriousness of his injury is a powerful reminder of the physical risks in the game, and why a player’s health and well-being must always come first,” Forest wrote. “At Nottingham Forest, this principle is not just policy for us; it is the deeply held belief and conviction of our owner. To Evangelos Marinakis, this isn’t just a football club – it’s family – and he instils that message in all of us.”
Forest owner storms pitch
The club also explained the controversy involving owner Evangelos Marinakis, who stormed the pitch after the 1-1 draw with already-relegated Leicester.
“That is why he was so personally and emotionally invested in the situation that unfolded at the City Ground on Sunday. His reaction was one of deep care, responsibility, and emotional investment in one of our own. He didn’t just see it as an isolated incident, but as something that reflected the values and unity of the entire team.
“In moments like that he demonstrates his leadership, not just through words, but through action and presence. In the final ten minutes of the game, when he saw our player clearly in discomfort, struggling through visible pain, it became increasingly difficult for him to stay on the sidelines. His deep frustration at seeing our player lying on the ground in severe pain – something no one with genuine care could ignore – triggered him to go onto the pitch. It was instinctive, human, and a reflection of just how much this team and its people mean to him. He would do the same again if such an unfortunate event were ever to reoccur,” the club says.
No confrontation
According to the club, people misread the owner’s reaction.
“The truth of the matter is there was no confrontation, with Nuno [Forest manager] or with others, either on the pitch or inside the stadium. There was only shared frustration between all of us that the medical team should never have allowed the player to continue.”
The club is now urging former coaches and players, and other public figures in the game, to resist the urge to rush to judgement and fake news online, “especially when they do not have the full facts and context.”
“Baseless and ill-informed outrage for the purposes of personal social media traction serves no one – least of all the injured player. We call on these influential voices to show the same respect for player welfare that they often demand from others. Let concern come before commentary.”
