Ola Aina has blamed the new offside rule for the injury sustained by his compatriot Taiwo Awoniyi in last Sunday’s Premier League clash with relegated Leicester City.
Awoniyi came out of an induced coma on Wednesday night and was recovering well after another round of surgery to repair a ruptured intestine, suffered in the closing stages of Forest’s 2-2 draw with Leicester.
The Nigeria international was treated by Forest’s medical staff after colliding with a post and cleared to return to the field, before realising he could not carry on.
The 27-year-old was taken ill after the game and rushed to hospital.
The really upsetting thing for everybody at Nottingham Forest is that, as Awoniyi lies stricken in hospital, they know that none of this needed to have happened at all.
Had an assistant referee Sian Massey-Ellis put her flag up as a clearly offside Anthony Elanga ran on to a through ball late in Forest’s 2-2 draw against Leicester on Sunday, there would have been no cross to the far post.
There would have been no collision between Awoniyi and the frame of the goal.
It’s a relatively new rule – the one that tells assistants to wait until the passage of play is over before signalling – but it’s long since felt like an accident waiting to happen. And now the accident is here and Awoniyi is the victim.
Also Read: Awoniyi Out Of Induced Coma, Recovering Well
“Anthony was miles offside,” Aina told Mail Sport.
“The whole world could see and so could I from where I was.
“You think ‘offside’ straight away. Surely you could just lift the flag up?
“Personally I liked how it was back in the day when for offside they just put it up straight away.
“A simple decision and get on with the game.
“Having to see it out and then just see this happen….well none of this would have happened to ‘T’ if the flag had just gone up would it?”
Aina also added that he and his teammates have sent Awoniyi a get well message.
“T is a very chilled guy,” Aina says quietly.
“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.”
Aina also spoek about what he and Awoniyi share in common.
“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.
“It affects everybody in some sort of way. All we can do is show our support and hopefully everything goes well for him now.”
