Ola Aina Updates on Taiwo Awoniyi’s Recovery and Raises Concerns Over Offside Rule
Nigeria’s Ola Aina has shared hopeful news about his teammate Taiwo Awoniyi, who is recovering after a serious abdominal injury that left him in an induced coma.
Awoniyi, who plays as a striker for Nottingham Forest and the Nigerian national team, suffered the injury after a collision with a goalpost during a tense match against Leicester City, which ended in a 2-2 draw.
The impact ruptured Awoniyi’s intestine, and he was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. To help stabilize his condition, doctors placed him in an induced coma before a follow-up operation. Thankfully, he has since woken up and is reportedly on the mend.
Ola Aina, also on the pitch for Nottingham Forest and Nigeria, reached out to offer his support. “I’ve sent him a message, and the whole team is rallying around him. Hearing that he’s recovering is really encouraging,” Aina told the Daily Mail. “It’s tough seeing someone go through such a scary experience. We’re all hoping for the best.”
Beyond expressing concern, Aina opened up about the incident’s connection to the offside rule that’s been under debate since its 2020 revision. The injury happened during a play where Forest’s Anthony Elanga was clearly offside, but the assistant referee delayed raising the flag until after the play ended, following the current protocol.
Aina expressed frustration with this delay. “When I saw the play, it was obvious—Anthony was offside. You expect the flag to go up right away. Watching everything unfold and then seeing what happened to Taiwo is heartbreaking. Maybe if the flag had gone up sooner, this could have been avoided.”
The assistant referee, Massey-Ellis, followed the guidelines set by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which allows referees to wait before signaling offside if the attacking team has a clear chance to score or advance.
This incident has brought fresh attention to the debate around the rule’s impact on player safety and whether it needs revisiting.
