Togo's Samuel Asamoah injured neck after colliding with LED board

Togolese international midfielder Samuel Asamoah faces a high risk of paralysis after breaking his neck in a collision with a pitchside advertising board during a China League One match on Sunday between Guangxi Pingguo and Chongqing Tonglianglong. The 31 year old was taken to hospital and has undergone surgery after video footage showed him fall headfirst into an LED advertising panel following contact with an opposing player.

Guangxi Pingguo said in an initial statement that Asamoah suffered multiple fractures to his neck and extensive nerve damage and was at risk of high level paraplegia. The club said he will miss the remainder of the season and that his career may be seriously affected. A subsequent update from the club on Wednesday described him as recovering from surgery and in stable condition and added, "His recovery progress will be announced in due course after followup examinations."

Video circulating from the match appears to show Chongqing Tonglianglong midfielder Zhang Zhixiong and Asamoah jostling for the ball before contact that propelled Asamoah into the advertising board. Zhang was shown a yellow card on the field. The Video Assistant Referee did not intervene.