A Russian football player for the Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala died Saturday while being transported to the hospital after being shot.
The Guardian reported that Gasan Magomedov, a 20-year-old midfielder, was shot by machine gun fire while driving near his home in North Caucasus, Russia.
Magomedov played regularly for Anzhi's youth and reserve teams. The motive for the attack is unknown and no one has been arrested.
The Russian region of Dagestan, where the attack occurred, has been the home for Islamist militant groups.
According to the Daily Mail, as many as 300 people from the Dagestan region fight for ISIS, and about 10 people who have returned have been killed by Russian anti-terror operations.
The Anzhi chief executive sent condolences to the family and friends of Magomedov in a statement. The club said the midfielder could not have provoked the attack in any way.
The club challenged for the Russian Premier League title after receiving financial backing from billionaire owner Suleyman Kerimov.
The club spent money to sign star players from Brazil and the U.K., supposedly paying Samuel Eto'o, a striker for Chelsea, 350,000 euros.
The club played in Europe twice and played Liverpool under Kerimov's ownership. However, when he withdrew his financial support, the club dropped to the second tier with the worst record in all of European football.
