Chalien Dantes/Contributor

Ghanaian-Togolese international Samuel Asamoah is facing a life-changing injury after a violent collision during a match in China left him with a broken neck.

The 31-year-old midfielder, now playing for Guangxi Pingguo in China’s second division, crashed headfirst into an LED advertising board after being pushed by an opposing player mid-game.

The incident, which happened on Sunday, quickly turned serious. Asamoah was rushed off the field, and by Monday, his club confirmed he had suffered multiple neck fractures and severe nerve damage injuries that could leave him paraplegic and unable to move the lower half of his body.

He has since undergone surgery and is currently stable, but doctors say he remains at risk of a high-level spinal injury.

The opponent responsible, Zhang Zhixiong of Chongqing Tonglianglong, was handed only a yellow card for the shove, which brought up questions about player safety and the dangers of having hard surfaces so close to the field.

Asamoah, who played much of his career in Belgium before moving to China earlier this year, has represented Togo at the international level six times.

His injury comes just weeks after another tragic incident in lower league football, where 21-year-old Billy Vigar, a former Arsenal youth striker, died following a severe head injury believed to have come from crashing into a pitch-side concrete wall during a match in England. While the exact details are still unclear, the back-to-back incidents are raising fresh concerns about safety standards in the sport.