Marinakis, leadership and crossing the line
Nobody can question Evangelos Marinakis’ passion for football and for Nottingham Forest. Nobody should doubt his very obvious concern for the well-being of his striker, Taiwo Awoniyi, who suffered a serious abdominal injury when colliding with the post. But Forest’s owner needs to learn the art of real leadership, proper leadership.
Real leadership is not criticising his medical staff in public. Whatever Marinakis’ frustrations, these are professional people making split-second decisions under pressure and perhaps with a player insisting he’s fine to continue. Real leadership would be gathering the head coach, Nuno Espirito Santo, and the medical staff at the training ground the following day, listening to all versions of events and to views, and then reacting. Real leadership can take place in private, not in public.
Forest’s extraordinary statement yesterday started cogently by highlighting that “the seriousness of his (Awoniyi’s) injury is a powerful reminder of the physical risks in the game, and why a player’s health and well-being must always come first”. Spot on.
Real leadership should then have seen the focus turn to the Laws and the reason why Awoniyi was injured. Forest and Marinakis could have made a powerful, positive contribution to an ongoing debate by calling on the FA, IFAB and PGMOL to reconsider the delayed flag that puts players at risk.