Nigerian Footballer Hospitalized After Knife Attack in Lithuania

Chinonso Jeremiah Obi, a Nigerian footballer, is in critical condition after being stabbed in Lithuania on Tuesday, March 17, 2026.

The 20-year-old Lagos-born player, who plays for FK Dainava, was attacked near an apartment building on Naujoji Street in Alytus while heading to join his team for a league match against Taurus in Tauragė. The assailant, a 2007-born male, stabbed Obi in the stomach, buttocks, and arm before being overpowered and detained by the club’s administrator. Passersby helped Obi to a hospital, where he remains under treatment.

In a statement on Facebook, FK Dainava condemned the attack, expressing shock and canceling the scheduled First League match. “What happened today is incomprehensible and unforgivable. Our football player has become a victim of a serious crime,” the club said.

The Lithuania Football Federation also denounced the attack, calling it racially motivated. Federation President Edgaras Stankevičius emphasized that “racism has no place in football or society,” and stressed the importance of player safety regardless of nationality or origin.

The club hopes the attacker faces strict punishment and wishes Obi a full recovery.