Taiwo Awoniyi ended a two-month goalless run by scoring the third goal in Nottingham Forest’s 3-0 win over Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, but the manner of his celebration may earn him unwanted attention from the FA in the coming days, Footynaija.com reports.
Awoniyi had played just 18 minutes of Premier League football under new Forest manager Vitor Pereira since his last goal against Brentford in January, his return from a serious abdominal injury that required surgery last May being carefully managed.
The Super Eagles striker came off the bench on Sunday and made his presence felt late on, arriving unmarked at the far post to tap in a Neco Williams cross for Forest’s third goal in the 87th minute.
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In celebrating, he removed his shirt to reveal an undershirt bearing the message “God is the Greatest,” a gesture in line with the deep Christian faith he has worn openly throughout his career.
He was shown a yellow card by referee Simon Hooper.
This is not the first time Awoniyi has used a goal celebration to express his beliefs. He did the same in a win over West Ham earlier in his Forest career, revealing a Bible verse on his undershirt and being booked for it on that occasion too.
The FA’s regulations prohibit players from revealing undergarments that display political, religious or personal messages, with sanctions applying to both the individual and the club.
The yellow card was automatic. Whether a further disciplinary charge follows will depend on how the FA chooses to treat the religious message specifically.
Forest, meanwhile, will care more about the three points. The win pushed them three points clear of the relegation zone with seven games remaining, leapfrogging Tottenham in the process and dealing a significant blow to Igor Tudor’s side, who are now without a league win in 13 games.
