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Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi has been placed into an induced coma after undergoing emergency surgery.
The Premier League star, 27, suffered a serious abdominal injury during his team’s match against Leicester on Sunday, May 11, after crashing into the goal post during one moment. Awoniyi underwent surgery on his injury on Monday night and has now been placed into an induced coma to aid with the recovery from the procedure.
There has been no suggestion that the move to place Awoniyi into an induced coma is because his condition is life-threatening. Instead, doctors say that by doing so, they will be able to restrict his movement and regulate his heart rate, which will contribute to his recovery.
During the match on Sunday, which ended 2-2, the Nigerian international received several minutes of treatment on the pitch after crashing into the goalpost. He returned to the pitch before his injury forced him to be substituted in the 83rd minute.
Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi has been placed in an induced coma to aid his recovery from urgent abdominal surgeryNottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi has been placed in an induced coma to aid his recovery from urgent abdominal surgery
Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi has been placed in an induced coma to aid his recovery from urgent abdominal surgery | Mike Egerton/PA Wire
The extent of the injury was revealed by Forest’s medical staff on Monday, when they revealed that he had been rushed to hospital for treatment.
The club said in an update on Tuesday afternoon (May 13) that the player was “recovering well”. Forest added that the seriousness of Awoniyi’s injury justifies the reaction of club owner Evangelos Marinakis, after he was seen speaking in a heated matter to manager Nuno Espirito Santo on the pitch after the full-time whistle.
The moment sparked reaction from football pundits and fans alike, with many calling Marinakis’s alleged public altercation with Santo disrespectful. Gary Neville was one pundit who was shocked by the moment, saying that the manager should “negotiate his exit” that same night.
Forest has since hit back at claims of a confrontation between the owner and manager, stating that Marinakis was instead sharing Santo’s frustration at Awoniyi being cleared to continue playing by the medical team despite the serious injury he had sustained.
Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi was left seriously injured after crashing into the goalpost during a match against Leicester on Sunday, May 11.Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi was left seriously injured after crashing into the goalpost during a match against Leicester on Sunday, May 11.
Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi was left seriously injured after crashing into the goalpost during a match against Leicester on Sunday, May 11. | Jacob King/PA Wire
The club issued a statement, which read: “To Evangelos Marinakis, this isn’t just a football club — it’s family – and he instils that message in all of us. 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. In moments like that he demonstrates his leadership, not just through words, but through action and presence.
“In the final 10 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.”
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Forest hit back at critics of Marinakis, adding: “The truth of the matter is there was no confrontation, with Nuno 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.
“In light of this, we urge 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.”
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