Taiwo Awoniyi placed in induced coma after emergency surgery | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi has bee placed in an induced coma after having the first phase of surgery on a serious abdominal injury.

This comes after the club provided an explanation for owner Evangelos Marinakis’ outburst at manager Nuno Espirito Santo after they 2-2 draw with Leicester.

The Forest owner stated in an Instagram post that his outrage towards his manager was because Espirito Santo did not bring off Awoniyi after the striker crashed into the post in the 88th minute of the match.

After Forest had mistakenly chosen to clear the Nigerian striker to continue and use their final substitution elsewhere, Awoniyi was unable to move much for the rest of the game and has since undergone emergency abdominal surgery. The 27-year-old has been placed in a medically induced coma for the next 24 hours ahead of the second part of his surgery.

They hope to wake the Nigerian in the coming day.

The Midlands outfit released a statement saying that player health must come first and Marinakis’ reaction was only in view of protecting his players.

“The seriousness of Awoniyi’s 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.

“To Evangelos Marinakis, this is not just a football club – it is a family – and he instilis that message in all of us. That is why he was so personally invested in the situation that unfolded at the City Ground on Sunday.”

The statement also denies that the incident between Marinakis and the Forest boss was a confrontation, instead suggesting that it was mutal disappointment in how the situation was handled.

“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.”

Nottingham Forest indicated in the statement that the Greek businessman’s actions came from a place of love and care for the club and its people.

“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.”