Premier League to ban Super Eagles star after Brighton mistake

Super Eagles forward Taiwo Awoniyi faces a three-match Premier League ban after being sent off for Coventry City against Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, Soccernet.ng reports.

Awoniyi was shown a straight red card in the 53rd minute at the Coventry Building Society Arena after catching Brighton defender Maxim De Cuyper with his elbow during an aerial challenge. The decision was reviewed by VAR and the dismissal stood.

The red card came only two minutes after Malick Yalcouyé doubled Brighton's lead. Charalampos Kostoulas had put the visitors ahead in the 35th minute, leaving Frank Lampard's side 2-0 down before Awoniyi's dismissal made their task even harder.

Awoniyi's dismissal is a major setback after he joined Coventry from Nottingham Forest and started the club's return to the Premier League. He had made three league appearances before the Brighton game, playing 181 minutes without a goal.

It is Awoniyi's first Premier League dismissal as the Nigerian striker's disciplinary record in the English top-tier had been clean before Sunday. However, it is only the second sending off in the career of the Super Eagles striker.

Super Eagles: Three-match ban puts Awoniyi's Forest reunion in doubt

The punishment is likely to be more serious than the one-match ban that follows some sending-offs. Premier League guidance states that a dismissal for violent conduct carries an automatic three-match suspension.

That could rule Awoniyi out of Coventry's next three competitive matches, including the Premier League meeting with his former club Nottingham Forest if the fixtures fall within the suspension period. The forward spent four seasons at Forest after joining permanently in 2022 and scored 21 Premier League goals for the club.

The incident also carries an unusual link to the only previous red card of Awoniyi's professional career. In March 2018, while on loan at Belgian club Royal Excel Mouscron, he was sent off against Lokeren after an aerial challenge involving defender Alexis Monsecour.

Lampard must now find a way to replace Awoniyi as Coventry search for their first Premier League points and goals of the season. Ghana's Brandon Thomas-Asante was among the substitutes against Brighton and is one of the options available to the manager.