NOTTINGHAM FOREST are set to launch an internal investigation into their medical team’s handling of Taiwo Awoniyi’s horror injury on Sunday.
The 27-year-old Nigerian striker remains in hospital, in an induced coma, after having surgery to repair a ruptured intestine on Monday.
Awoniyi suffered severe abdominal injuries when he collided with a post during his side’s 2-2 draw with Leicester City.
Surgeons took the decision to stabilise Awoniyi’s condition by placing him in an induced coma, which will help restrict his movement and regulate his heart rate.
However, Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is still fuming at how the stricken striker was allowed to continue playing by the club’s medics and coaches.
SunSport understands the Greek tycoon has ordered a comprehensive internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding that controversial decision.
Forest’s vastly experienced club doctor Dr Prithish Shyam Narayan will be quizzed along with club medics and coaches, so that Forest get a precise picture and understanding of what happened on Sunday.
Marinakis was so incensed at Awoniyi’s plight he raced onto the pitch at full-time to quiz manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
Now he wants answers before deciding if any further action is required.
In a hard-hitting statement issued by Forest on Monday, the club made it clear it will not tolerate any player being endangered.
It said: “The seriousness of Taiwo Awoniyi’s 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.
“This principle is not just policy for us, it is the deeply held conviction of our owner.”
The statement went on to seemingly criticise the club’s own medics when it concluded: “There was only shared frustration between all of us that the medical team should never have allowed the player to continue.”
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