Nigerian footballer f+ghting for his life after being st+bbed multiple times by a r@cist ahead of a match in Lithuania

A Nigerian footballer, Chinonso Jeremiah Obi, has been hospitalised after sustaining serious inj¥ries in a knife att@ck in Lithuania, an a+sa¥lt that has been described as rac+sm-related.

The incident occurred on Tuesday morning, March 17, 2026, in Alytus, as Obi’s club, FK Dainava, was preparing to travel for a league match against Tauras in Tauragė. The 20-year-old Lagos-born player was reportedly walking to meet his teammates when a 2007-born male att@cker st+bbed him from behind near an apartment building on Naujoji Street. Obi suffered multiple inj¥ries to his stomach, arm, and bu+tocks before the assailant was overpowered and detained by the club’s administrator.

Passersby helped Obi before he was rushed to hospital, where his condition is reported as critical.

FK Dainava condemned the att@ck in a statement, calling it “incomprehensible and unforgivable,” and announced the league match would be postponed. The club also called for strict punishment for the att@cker while expressing hope for Obi’s recovery.

The Lithuanian Football Federation also condemned the att@ck. Its president, Edgaras Stankevičius, described Obi as a young player striving to build a career abroad and explicitly labeled the assault as racism-related. He emphasized that all players, regardless of nationality, skin color, or origin, must feel safe.

“Rac+sm 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,” Stankevičius said.