EPL referees plan bold response after Awoniyi incident

Referees in the English Premier League are set to review the competition’s offside laws following Taiwo Awoniyi’s recent situation, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 27-year-old suffered a ruptured intestine in Forest’s 2-2 draw against Leicester City. Anthony Elanga was already offside when he played a through ball into Awoniyi’s path, and as is the rule with offside situations, the linesman is to keep the flag down until the sequence of play ends.

However, this action led to a life-threatening situation for Awoniyi, and now, the Players’ union representatives will talk to football lawmakers over the injury scare of the former Union Berlin striker.

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Awoniyi was placed in an induced coma to aid his recovery from emergency abdominal surgery after his collision on Sunday.

According to the Mirror, The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) will raise concerns and try to learn lessons from any mistakes made over the incident.

The PFA will push the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited, the body responsible for the overseeing match officials in Professional English Football), and also law makers IFAB to review the current system and it is understood both bodies are willing to listen and review the set-up.

The PFA has been in constant touch with Awoniyi’s family, they have made his health and recovery their utmost priority as well as liaising with Forest as a club, but now want to balance how linesmen should approach scenarios that led to the current condition of the Nottingham Forest striker.

Awoniyi’s club and national teammate, Ola Aina, revealed the club staff and players have been concerned about the welfare of the 2013 U-17 FIFA World Cup winner. Aina also advocated for a change in how linesmen approach clear offside situations.

“Taiwo is a very chilled guy. He doesn’t like to get in the way. He goes about his own business but he can have fun as well. He has been in a couple of my videos but I know he doesn’t like the cameras too much so I try not to put them in his face. I respect that about him. I have sent him a message of course. The whole team has.

“I have heard he is recovering well, so hopefully, we will hear from him soon. I knew he had hurt himself at the time but just didn’t realise it was to that extent. I only really heard when everyone was sending messages on our players’ group chat.

“We have a lot of things in common, me and Taiwo. Like our faith, but this is our team-mate and brother and someone we spend most of the year with day in day out,” the ex-Chelsea defender said as previously reported by Soccernet.ng.

Awoniyi has survived some tough injuries in his career. During his time in the Bundesliga, his tongue rolled into his throat after a head collision with Felik Uduokhai. This season, he broke his nose in Forest’s FA Cup tie against Exeter.