Samuel Asamoah undergoes surgery on neck fracture after collision with pitchside board

Samuel Asamoah while playing for Sint Truiden in Belgium Jeroen Meuwsen/BSR Agency/Getty ImagesTogo midfielder Samuel Asamoah has undergone surgery after fracturing his neck during a game, his club Guangxi Pingguo have said.The 31-year-old’s head collided with a pitchside LED advertising board after being pushed by his opponent during a match against Chongqing Tonglianglong on Sunday in China League One — the nation’s second division.His club have since confirmed the midfielder is in a stable condition after successfully undergoing surgery.On Monday, Guangxi Pingguo said Asamoah was at risk of “high-level paraplegia” — an inability to voluntarily move the lower parts of the body — as he had suffered multiple fractures in his neck and sustaining extensive nerve damage.Chongqing Tonglianglong midfielder Zhang Zhixiong was shown a yellow card for his push on Asamoah into the pitchside board. There was no intervention from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) team on the incident.The Chinese Football Association’s (CFA) referee review panel deemed that while Zhixiong’s foul was reckless, it fell short of a serious foul or violent conduct. Therefore the decision to show Zhixiong a yellow card was correct, as the injury to Asamoah was described as accidental.“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 played seven times for Togo, has spent the majority of his career in Belgian and Romanian football, and joined Guangxi Pingguo earlier this year.Last month, former Arsenal academy player Billy Vigar died at the age of 21 after sustaining a “significant brain injury” while playing for Chichester City.Vigar’s death prompted the English Football Association to announce it would launch an immediate review into the safety of perimeter walls and pitch boundaries in the National League system, working with leagues, clubs and relevant stakeholders. Oct 10, 2025Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports termsColin Millar is a Staff Writer for The Athletic. Prior to joining The Athletic, Colin was European Football writer at Mirror Football. From Belfast, he is the author of The Frying Pan of Spain: Sevilla vs Real Betis, Spain’s Hottest Football Rivalry, and he can be found on Twitter/X: @Millar_Colin Follow Colin on Twitter @Millar_Colin