Togolese international footballer Samuel Asamoah is in critical condition after suffering a severe neck injury during a domestic match in China. The 31-year-old midfielder collided with an advertising board while jostling for the ball in a League One fixture on Sunday, leaving him with a broken neck and significant nerve damage.
Asamoah’s club, Guangxi Pingguo, confirmed the extent of his injuries, revealing that the collision resulted in fractures to his neck and nerve damage. The club expressed serious concern, stating that he was at risk of high-level paraplegia and would miss the remainder of the season. “His career may also be severely impacted,” the club warned on Monday.
The club further confirmed that Asamoah underwent surgery and is currently recovering in a stable condition. “Guangxi Pingguo FC sincerely thanks all fans and all walks of life for their concern and support for Samuel Asamoah,” the team said in a statement.
According to reports, the incident occurred during a match against Chongqing Tonglianglong, where Asamoah was shoved by an opponent, midfielder Zhang Zhixiong. The force of the push sent Asamoah crashing head-first into an LED advertising board positioned three meters from the pitch. Chinese football authorities indicated that the placement of the board complied with international standards.
The opposing player, Zhang, was issued a yellow card following the incident.
Asamoah, who spent much of his career in Belgium before transferring to China last year, has represented Togo six times, according to football statistics platform Transfermarkt.com.
