A Nigerian footballer, Chinonso Jeremiah Obi, has been hospitalised for injury sustained following a knife attack in Lithuania.
Obi suffered a knife attack while his club, FK Dianava was preparing to travel for a league one match against Taurus in Taurage.
Obi was st@bbed near an apartment building on Naujoji Street in Alytus around 11:am on Tuesday, March 17, 2026.
He was walking to the location where the team was supposed to leave for Tauragė, when the attacker, a 2007-born male, st@bbed him from behind.
Obi was st@bbed in the stomach, buttocks, and arm, before the assailant was overpowered and detained by the club’s administrator.
Passersby helped Obi who was then transported to hospital where the 20-year-old Lagos-born player’s condition is said to be critical.
The club condemned the attack in a Facebook post on Tuesday, stating its shock at its player suffering such serious crime.
It also cancelled plans to honour the league encounter in Taurage.
“What happened today is incomprehensible and unforgivable. Our football player has become a victim of a serious crime – he was attacked with a knife and is currently in hospital, his condition is serious,” the club said in a statement.
“Both the football players and the Alytus football community are shocked, so we will not be going to Tauragė to play the First League match today – the match has been postponed.”
Dainava also hopes the unnamed attacker who is already in police custody receives the strictest punishment, while hoping Obi makes a full recovery.
Similarly, the Lithuania football federation condemned the attack on Obi whom it described as “a young person who has come to Lithuania, striving for a career, fighting for the honor of his team and contributing to its victories.”
President of the federation Edgaras Stankevičius also labeled the attack racism-related, and advocated for the safety of players regardless of their origins
“Racism has no place in football or society. Every player, regardless of nationality, skin color or origin, must feel safe and do what they do best – delight fans in stadiums. Football around the world must be a unifying force, not a divisive one,” he added.