Ola Aina: Offside Flag Could Have Prevented Awoniyi Injury
Nottingham Forest defender Ola Aina has said the injury that saw teammate Taiwo Awoniyi placed in an induced coma could have been avoided if the the offside flag had gone up in time. The incident in question took place in the closing stages of Forest’s 2-2 draw against Leicester City, where Awoniyi clattered against the post. The forward finished the game despite being in significant pain and sources told ESPN he later underwent “urgent” surgery on an abdominal injury and was placed in a coma to aid recovery. Awoniyi collided with the post in an attempt to get on the end of a cross from Anthony Elanga. The winger had strayed offside in the buildup but as per protocol, the assistant referee only raised his flag once the play was done. “Anthony was miles offside. The whole world could see and so could I from where I was,” Aina told the Daily Mail. “You think ‘offside’ straight away. Surely you could just lift the flag up? Personally I liked how it was back in the day when for offside they just put it up straight away. “A simple decision and get on with the game. Having to see it out and then just see this happen … well none of this would have happened to T [Awoniyi] if the flag had just gone up would it?” In the aftermath of the game, Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis stormed onto the pitch and remonstrated with manager Nuno Espirito Santo. Forest later released a statement explaining that the owner’s emotional reaction was due to seeing Awoniyi in immense pain and his frustration at the medical staff for letting him continue the game.
