Exclusive: PGMOL insider highlights danger after Awoniyi’s Nottingham Forest injury
Keith Hackett has commented on the way that offsides are flagged in the wake of the injury suffered by Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi.
The former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA official exclusively told Football Insider he doesn’t expect a change to be made in the Premier League where VAR is used, but would like to see alterations in other leagues.
Nuno Espirito Santo saw his side held to a 2-2 draw by already relegated Leicester City at The City Ground on Sunday afternoon (11 May).
However, the big concern for Nottingham Forest revolves around the well-being of Awoniyi following a worrying incident late in the game.
Taiwo Awoniyi suffers heavy blow
As the hosts looked to claim a winner on the counter attack late into stoppage time, Anthony Elanga received the ball inside the Leicester half.
The Nottingham Forest winger was clearly in an offside position, but as per current directives, the flag was not raised by the assistant referee.
Instead Elanga was allowed to play on and send a cross into the box, where Awoniyi then collided heavily with the goalpost as he attempted to get to the ball, leaving him in need of treatment on the pitch.
It was only at that point the flag was raised, while the striker would play on for the final minutes of the game, something which Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was unhappy with.
| Nottingham Forest last five games | Result |
| Tottenham (A) | Won 2-1 |
| Man City (N) | Lost 2-0 |
| Brentford (H) | Lost 2-0 |
| Crystal Palace (A) | Drew 1-1 |
| Leicester (H) | Drew 2-2 |
On Monday (12 May), it then emerged that Awoniyi had been taken into hospital in order to undergo urgent surgery on an abdominal injury he has suffered when colliding with the post.
Fortunately, the striker is said to be recovering well, although the incident could have been avoided had the flag gone up immediately with Elanga in an offside position.
Indeed, some Nottingham Forest fans have called for the club to take action against the PGMOL over that injury suffered by Awoniyi.
Despite that, Hackett does not believe this will lead to a change in the directive issued to assistant referees when it comes to flagging for offside.
Keith Hackett reacts to Nottingham Forest injury
After being asked by Football Insider if he thinks this could lead to officials being told to flag instantly when a player is clearly offside in the wake of the injury to Awoniyi, the former referee said:
“Firstly I wish the player a speedy recovery. I have posted in the past the danger of the delayed flag a practice that opens up a higher risk of injury.
“Frankly, I have been surprised that we have not seen more injuries of this nature. The delayed flag was introduced with the introduction of VAR.
“What they are trying to ensure is that a goal is not chalked off with a raised flag that is later proven with VAR to be wrong in law. I do not see this practice been changed
“What I do smoke at is in leagues where VAR is not in operation but assistants are still applying the delayed flag procedure. A nonsense practice that should be changed where VAR is not in operation.”