FOOTBALLER Samuel Asamoah has been left with a “high-risk” of paralysis after a horrifying collision with an advertising board.
Togolese star Asamoah, 31, was playing in a match for Guangxi Pingguo against Chongqing Tonglianglong in the second tier of Chinese football.
GettyTogo international Samuel Asamoah has been left with a high risk of paraplegia[/caption]
A club statement confirmed he had undergone surgery following the collision
Video footage from the game, played last Sunday, showed Asamoah jostling for the ball with rival midfielder Zhang Zhixiong.
However, following a barge of shoulders, Asamoah was seen crashing head-first into the pitch-side boards.
The midfielder was left down on the floor before medics rushed over to treat him.
But on Monday, his club issued a worrying statement saying he was at a “high-risk of paraplegia” after suffering multiple fractures in his neck and sustaining extensive nerve damage.
His club confirmed he had undergone surgery and would miss all remaining games this season and added “his career may also be seriously affected”.
A club statement on Wednesday gave an update on his condition.
It read: “Guangxi Pingguo FC sincerely thanks all fans and all walks of life for their concern and support for Samuel Asamoah.
“His recovery progress will be announced in due course after follow-up examinations.”
Paraplegia is a term used to describe the inability to voluntarily move the lower parts of the body.
Asamoah, who has six international caps for Togo, had spent the majority of his career playing in Belgium before moving to Romania in 2021.
He then headed to China in 2024, playing for Qingdao Red Lions for a season before joining his current club.
Former Arsenal academy star Billy Vigar tragically died last month after spending 10 days in an induced coma following a “significant brain injury”.
Vigar, 21, is thought to have sustained the injury after colliding with a pitch-side concrete wall while in action for Chichester City in the Isthmian League Premier Division.
He was airlifted to hospital and placed in an induced coma, but sadly passed away as a result of the brain injury, triggering a series of calls for improved safety standards for pitch-side hazards.
The FA subsequently announced its plans to conduct a safety review of perimeter walls at non-league grounds.
An FA statement said: “We will now conduct an immediate review, working with leagues, clubs and relevant stakeholders across the game, that will focus on the safety of perimeter walls and boundaries around pitches in the National League system.
“This will include looking at ways we can assist National League system clubs to identify and implement additional measures at their stadiums that they determine will help to mitigate any potential safety risks.”
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