Ex-Unioner collided with post
© Imago
This article was first published on May 12, 2025 and was first updated on May 14th and again on May 15, with the awakening from the artificial coma (2nd paragraph).
The violation of Taiwo Awoniyi (27), which the former striker of Union Berlin and Mainz 05 at Nottingham Forest Zukt, was far more serious than initially assumed. In the game on Sunday against Leicester City, the player collided with the post, but was not replaced on the stomach despite visible problems. After the disappointing 2-2 of the Champions League Aspirant Forest, this had led to a sensational storm of club owners Evangelo’s Marinakis and an angry speech by the Greek to coach Nuno Espírito Santo. On Tuesday it became known that Awoniyi even had to be operated on Monday and was put into an artificial coma. The “BBC” reported on Thursday.
Update May 15th: According to the broadcaster, Awoniyi woke up from the artificial coma on Wednesday evening. He had suffered an intestinal tear against Leicester. On Wednesday is said to be loud in a second intervention “BBC” the wound closed and Awoniyi was brought back from the coma in the course of the evening. A life -threatening state did not exist, it said.
Nottingham criticizes its own medical department for Awoniyi
“The severity of his injury is an urgent memory of the physical risks of the game and why the health and well -being of a player must always be the top priority,” wrote Nottingham Forest in a statement and at the same time criticized his own medicine department that Awoniyi was not replaced despite visible problems. So Marinaki’s apparent outbreak of anger was not a confrontation with coach Espírito Santo, but an expression of frustration “that the medical team should never have allowed the player to continue”.
The artificial coma in which Awoniyi had been moved after the operation served several English media reports to reduce Awoniyi’s movements and to normalize the heartbeat. However, the serious abdominal injury was not life -threatening, as the club emphasized. According to Forest, the player is on the way of improvement.
Awoniyi, who played 05 and 65 times for Union Berlin in the Bundesliga twelve times, had been substituted in the 83rd minute and suffered the injury shortly afterwards. In the final phase, Nottingham was lucky because the previous table penultimate from Leicester left out good opportunities for victory.
Marinakis had also criticized the medical department after the game and his supposed attack on coach Esprito Santos and downplayed a conflict with the coach. “We all – coaching staff, players, fans and myself – were frustrated with the violation of Taiwo and the misjudgment of the medical staff as to whether Taiwo can continue the game,” wrote Marinakis on Instagram. “It is natural, it is a demonstration of passion that we feel for our club.”
Nottingham trainer showed forbearance with marinakis
Trainer Espírito Santo did not resent the emotional reaction. “It is his passion and his wish that we are a big club. 30,000 people felt the same way today. Certainly many of them would go to the field and shake through us,” said the 51 -year -old Portuguese.
Due to the draw, Nottingham missed the jump to a Champions League place. The first five teams for the premier class qualify in England this season, as the seventh, the Marinakis Club has one point behind the fifth Chelsea. On the last match day, Forest welcomes the Londoners to the possibly decisive duel. The club is no longer to be taken from the fact that Nottingham will play European again for the first time since the 1995/96 season.