Nottingham Forest has released a statement to counter recent claims. Firstly, the club confirmed that Super Eagles forward Taiwo Awoniyi is recovering well after undergoing surgery on his abdomen.
The 25-year-old sustained the injury after colliding with a goalpost during Sunday’s match against Leicester City.
Nottingham Forest also urged all players, coaches, and media outlets to desist from spreading false claims regarding an alleged confrontation between club owner Evangelos Marinakis and head coach Nuno Espírito Santo.
The club clarified that the owner’s emotional reaction on the touchline was connected to concern over Taiwo Awoniyi’s condition. Marinakis, the statement emphasized, does not take lightly seeing his players in such distressing situations.
Official Club Statement:
“Nottingham Forest can confirm that Taiwo Awoniyi is recovering well so far following urgent surgery on a serious abdominal injury sustained during Sunday’s match against Leicester City.
The seriousness of his injury is a powerful reminder of the physical risks in the game and why a player’s health and well-being must always come first. At Nottingham Forest, this principle is not just policy for us; it is the deeply held belief and conviction of our owner. To Evangelos Marinakis, this isn’t just a football club — it’s family — and he instills that message in all of us.
That is why he was so personally and emotionally invested in the situation that unfolded at the City Ground on Sunday. His reaction was one of deep care, responsibility, and emotional investment in one of our own. He didn’t just see it as an isolated incident, but as something that reflected the values and unity of the entire team.
In moments like that, he demonstrates his leadership not just through words, but through action and presence. In the final ten minutes of the game, when he saw our player clearly in discomfort, struggling through visible pain, it became increasingly difficult for him to remain on the sidelines. His deep frustration at seeing our player lying on the ground in severe pain — something no one with genuine care could ignore — triggered him to go onto the pitch. It was instinctive, human, and a reflection of just how much this team and its people mean to him. He would do the same again if such an unfortunate event were ever to reoccur.
The truth of the matter is that there was no confrontation with Nuno or with anyone else, either on the pitch or inside the stadium. There was only shared frustration among all of us that the medical team should never have allowed the player to continue.
In light of this, we urge former coaches, players, and other public figures in the game to resist the temptation to rush to judgment or spread fake news online, especially when they do not have the full facts and context. Baseless and ill-informed outrage for the sake of social media traction serves no one, least of all the injured player. We call on these influential voices to show the same respect for player welfare that they often demand from others.
