Nottingham Forest and Super Eagles defender Ola Aina has urged the Premier League to reassess its offside rule following a harrowing injury to teammate Taiwo Awoniyi, who was placed in an induced coma after colliding with the goalpost during a 2–2 draw with Leicester City.
The 27-year-old forward sustained the injury while chasing a through ball, which many observers including Aina — believed was clearly offside. Due to the Premier League’s current instruction for assistant referees to delay flagging potential offsides, play was allowed to continue, leading to the unfortunate collision.
“You think ‘offside’ straight away. Surely they could just lift the flag up? Personally, I preferred it when the offside flag was raised immediately,” Aina told the Daily Mail. “It’s a simple decision, and we can get on with the game. If the flag had gone up right away, none of this would have happened to ‘T,’ would it?”
READ MORE:enugu-state-pledges-employment-for-medalists-at-gateway-games-2025
Awoniyi initially received extensive treatment on the pitch following the incident but attempted to continue playing, despite Forest having used all their permitted substitutions. His condition worsened after the match.
The striker underwent the first stage of emergency abdominal surgery on Monday and was placed in an induced coma to assist his recovery and regulate his heartbeat. The second stage of the operation took place on Wednesday, and he was successfully brought out of the coma later that evening.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE ATHLETIC NG WHATSAPP CHANNEL NOW!
The club has since confirmed that the surgery was successful and that Awoniyi is now in stable condition, recovering under close medical supervision.
The incident has reignited debate over the “wait and see” approach to offside decisions in the Premier League — a policy that delays raising the flag until a play has fully developed, even if the player is clearly offside.
Aina believes the rule, while well-intentioned, comes at a cost to player safety. With recovery expected to take time, Awoniyi’s long-term playing status remains uncertain, but the club is prioritising his health above all else.
