Nottingham Forest’s Taiwo Awoniyi in Induced Coma After Surgery for Ruptured Intestine

Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi is in an induced coma following emergency surgery for a ruptured intestine sustained during Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Leicester City at the City Ground. The 27-year-old Nigerian international collided with the post in the 88th minute while attempting to meet a cross from Anthony Elanga. Awoniyi, who had come on as a substitute for Ibrahim Sangare, received prolonged treatment on the pitch before being taken to hospital.

Sources confirmed that Awoniyi underwent the first phase of surgery on Monday night, with the remaining procedure scheduled for Wednesday. Nottingham Forest released a statement on Tuesday saying the striker was “recovering well,” but emphasized the seriousness of the injury. Club owner Evangelos Marinakis visited the pitch post-match to express concern to manager Nuno Espirito Santo and is receiving regular updates on Awoniyi’s condition.

The incident has reignited debate over the assistant referee protocol to delay offside flags when a goalscoring opportunity is imminent. In this case, Elanga was offside when he received the ball, but the flag was only raised after Awoniyi’s collision. Critics argue that the current VAR-influenced system may endanger players unnecessarily. Forest said the injury serves as a “powerful reminder of the physical risks in the game and why a player’s health and wellbeing must always come first.”

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