Taiwo Awoniyi: Nigerian Star Is Out Of Coma Following Critical Surgery

• Taiwo Awoniyi was successfully brought out of an induced coma on Wednesday evening following a critical surgery
• The Nigerian international, who suffered a ruptured intestine on Sunday, is now in recovery mode
• The Nottingham Forest striker was placed in an induced coma on Tuesday to allow doctors monitor his condition closely

Nottingham Forest's star Taiwo Awoniyi has regained consciousness following an induced coma after undergoing urgent surgery to address a critical abdominal injury.

The injury occurred during a collision with a goalpost in the final moments of Forest’s 2-2 draw against Leicester City on Sunday.

Awoniyi suffered a ruptured intestine from the impact and on Monday, he was rushed to the hospital where he underwent the first phase of a complex surgical procedure to repair the damage.

It was gathered that the 27-year-old was placed in an induced coma on Tuesday to allow doctors closely monitor his condition.

On Wednesday, the second stage of the surgery was completed, and the medical staff successfully brought him out of the induced coma.

In a chat with BBC Sport, consultant colorectal surgeon Professor Gillian Tierney said injuries of such nature are dangerous. He said:

"The injury is really serious. It is potentially life-threatening. It is very easy to miss at the point of contact and can take hours to diagnose.

"If it occurred to an athlete who was super fit, very muscular and was running on adrenaline then I think it would be extremely understandable to miss it. Fluid leaking from the intestine would not be easy to diagnose straight away."

Awoniyi's injury sparks debate

Meanwhile, the severe injury Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi sustained has ignited discussions regarding the future of the offside law in football.

The striker was injured while attempting to tuck home a cross delivered by winger Anthony Elanga during a match.

Replays later confirmed that Elanga was in an offside position during the play leading up to the incident, per Sky Sports.

During the 2020-21 Premier League season, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) introduced a new protocol for handling offside decisions following the implementation of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.

While the offside law remained unchanged, assistant referees were instructed to delay raising their flag if they believed an immediate goal-scoring opportunity was possible, allowing play to continue until a natural stoppage for VAR review.

This protocol has come under heavy criticism due to Awoniyi’s injury, with many asking about its impact on player safety and game flow.

Peter Obi sends message to Awoniyi

Legit.ng earlier reported that presidential hopeful Peter Obi sent a get-well-soon message to Super Eagles striker Taiwo Awoniyi.

The Nottingham Forest attacker underwent emergency surgery on an abdominal injury on Monday, May 12.

Obi prayed that the striker returns stronger as he continues to recover following the completion of the second stage of surgery on Wednesday

Source: Legit.ng