Togolese midfielder Samuel Asamoah undergoes surgery after neck fracture

Togolese midfielder Samuel Asamoah has successfully undergone surgery after suffering a neck fracture during a league match in China, his club Guangxi Pingguo confirmed.

The 31-year-old sustained the serious injury on Sunday after colliding headfirst with a pitchside LED advertising board during a China League One game against Chongqing Tonglianglong. The impact occurred when Asamoah was pushed by an opposing player, sending him crashing into the boards.

Guangxi Pingguo revealed that Asamoah faced the risk of high-level paraplegia—a condition that could have left him unable to move his lower body, after sustaining multiple neck fractures and extensive nerve damage. The club, however, said the midfielder is now in a stable condition following successful surgery.

Chongqing Tonglianglong’s Zhang Zhixiong received a yellow card for the shove, and there was no intervention from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) team.

In a review of the incident, the Chinese Football Association’s (CFA) referee panel concluded that although Zhixiong’s challenge was reckless, it did not constitute serious foul play or violent conduct, making the yellow card the correct decision.

The CFA also stated that the advertising boards, placed three meters from the pitch, met both international standards and China League One safety regulations.

“Furthermore, it was determined that the placement of the off-field LED advertising displays and their distance from the playing surface (3 meters) were in compliance with international football standards and relevant China League One regulations,” the CFA statement read.

Asamoah, who has been capped seven times for Togo, spent most of his professional career in Belgium and Romania before joining Guangxi Pingguo earlier this year.