 to urgently review its refereeing procedures following a serious injury to Nigerian international and Nottingham Forest striker, Taiwo Awoniyi.){kind=link}
A British Member of Parliament representing Nottinghamshire has called on the Football Association (FA) to urgently review its refereeing procedures following a serious injury to Nigerian international and Nottingham Forest striker, Taiwo Awoniyi.
The incident occurred during Forest’s 2-2 Premier League clash with Leicester City on Sunday, May 11, at the City Ground. Awoniyi was severely injured after sliding in to meet a cross from teammate Anthony Elanga, only for his momentum to send him crashing into the post.
The forward sustained significant internal injuries, prompting immediate medical intervention.
Awoniyi’s injury has reignited criticism of a controversial refereeing rule introduced in 2020, which instructs assistant referees to delay raising the flag for offside until the conclusion of an attacking move.
Elanga, who delivered the cross, was in an offside position during the build-up, yet play was allowed to continue, per the current protocol.
Reacting to the incident, Nottinghamshire MP Mr. Naish sent a formal letter to the FA, expressing concerns from local constituents and fans about the safety of players under the existing rules.
“Many of my constituents have expressed serious concern about the circumstances of this injury. They believe it could have been prevented had the offside flag been raised earlier,” Mr. Naish stated in the letter.
He questioned whether the FA would investigate the specific incident involving Awoniyi and whether changes to the offside protocol are being considered to prevent future injuries.
Awoniyi, 27, underwent emergency surgery after suffering a ruptured intestine.
The situation was so grave that club owner Evangelos Marinakis entered the pitch after the match—an act the club later described as a deeply emotional response to the seriousness of the injury.
The Nigerian striker was placed in an induced coma for stabilisation but has since regained consciousness and remains under close observation by medical professionals.
While Awoniyi is expected to miss the remainder of the season, Nottingham Forest have already secured European qualification.
They will host Chelsea in their final league game on Sunday, May 25, with their final league standing—and potential European competition—yet to be determined.