Horrific accident in the Premier League makes offside rule should be reconsidered

TPO - Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi fell into a deep coma after a very strong collision with the post in the 2-2 draw with Leicester City. It is worth mentioning that this accident could have been completely avoided if the offside rule had been changed.

Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi has been placed in a coma after undergoing emergency surgery for a head injury sustained in Sunday's clash with Leicester. The Nigerian striker's injury is life-threatening and the surgery is complex and will require a second part of the procedure, which will take place on Wednesday, the Telegraph reports.

There were questions raised about why the medical team allowed Awoniyi to continue playing, leading to Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis, concerned about his condition, rushing onto the pitch to confront manager Nuno Espirito Santo at the end of the match (rather than clashing with the manager as Gary Neville commented on television).

Awoniyi’s accident has also sparked calls for changes to the offside rule. Under the latest rule, even if the referee is offside, he will not raise his flag until the play is over. He will only raise his flag to indicate the original foul when the play is over, a goal is scored or an opportunity has passed.

Anthony Elanga was clearly offside, but the referee did not raise his flag to let the situation continue.

Taiwo Awoniyi hit the post with his stomach in a situation where the goal was disallowed.

So, although Anthony Elanga was clearly offside, because the linesman did not raise his flag, the players continued to run. All leading to Elanga's cross and Awoniyi trying to reach the ball while defender Facundo Buonanotte was very close. As we know, Awoniyi crashed into the post and the pressure from Buonanotte only added more force to the impact.

The accident would not have happened if the referee had raised his flag earlier. Awoniyi would have stopped at the start if he had known for sure that the ball would not have gone into the net. So who is responsible?

It all started with a law change introduced at the 2018 World Cup, when the VAR system was first used. Linesmen will not raise their flag early because if there is a dispute, VAR will step in. Such is the confidence in the power of technology that the International Federation of Referees (IFAB) allows a play to continue even if an offside is clearly visible to the naked eye.

Awoniyi is not the only victim of this adjustment. When Nuno Espirito Santo was in charge of Wolves, his player, goalkeeper Rui Patricio, was given oxygen after colliding with teammate Coady. This happened when they were trying to stop Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah from scoring. VAR then intervened, showing that Salah was offside and the goal was ruled out. Had the referee raised his flag immediately, none of this would have happened.

Will Patricio's and now Awoniyi's accidents lead to a change in the offside rule? We'll see.

Thanh Hai

Source: https://tienphong.vn/tai-nan-kinh-hoang-o-ngoai-hang-anh-khien-luat-viet-vi-nen-duoc-xem-xet-lai-post1742334.tpo