Longtime soccer sportswriter Grant Wahl has died covering the World Cup in Qatar

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Longtime soccer sportswriter Grant Wahl died on Friday while covering the Argentina-Netherlands quarterfinal at the 2022 World Cup in Doha, Qatar.

As the match was winding down, NPR correspondent Tom Goldman witnessed a commotion in the press tribune at Lusail Stadium. Reporters scattered as Wahl collapsed. Paramedics responded to the seating area where he was and performed CPR. After many minutes, they took him away on a stretcher while using an automatic chest compressor to continue applying CPR.

Wahl’s wife and brother both confirmed his death to NPR. He was 48.

Grant Wahl appeared often on NPR discussing the intricacies of soccer and his love of the game.

As NPR reported earlier, Wahl was prevented from entering one World Cup stadium in Qatar in November because he was wearing a rainbow t-shirt.

Wahl said a stadium security guard turned him away, “You have to change your shirt. It’s not allowed.” Wahl said he’d been briefly detained. Qatar has been a controversial host since it was awarded the tournament in 2010.

Its human rights record has been heavily criticized. And, since the tournament began last month, the Persian Gulf country’s rules prohibiting same-sex relations have been front and centre. It’s illegal in Qatar and punishable by jail time. When several European team captains said they would wear special rainbow armbands, FIFA clamped down and threatened the players with yellow cards.

Wahl had been critical of FIFA and Qatar during the tournament. In an interview with NPR, Eric Wahl said his brother didn’t shy away from highlighting the controversy at the World Cup “He was very critical of FIFA – which is not new for him and very critical of how the Qataris were running the games.”

Eric Wahl said his brother had received death threats while in Qatar because of the rainbow shirt and his continued reporting on FIFA and the Qatari government.

U.S. Soccer noted Wahl’s death in a tweet, saying the organization was heartbroken. “Grant’s passion for soccer and commitment to elevating its profile across our sporting landscape played a major role in helping to drive interest in and respect for our beautiful game.”

Wahl was a longtime sportswriter with Sports Illustrated – travelling the globe covering soccer events like the World Cup, Women’s World Cup and numerous European tourneys. He and the magazine parted ways in 2020 and he branched out on his own. He also regularly appeared on Fox Sports and CBS Sports as a commentator.

Wahl had gotten sick while on assignment in Qatar. On Monday he had written he’d visited a medical clinic and the staff believed he had bronchitis.

“My body finally broke down on me,” Wahl wrote. “Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you … What had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort.” He said he’d been taking antibiotics and they appeared to be helping.

Eric Wahl said his brother was one of the most sincere people he’d ever known. “He was especially concerned about people whose rights were being violated … and he just wanted to share his love of soccer with others.”

US Journalist Dies Days After Brief Detention In Qatar Over Rainbow Shirt

Grant, 48, collapsed while covering the quarterfinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands at the Lusail Iconic Stadium on Friday.

US journalist Grant Wahl, who was detained in Qatar for wearing a rainbow shirt in support of the LGBTQ community, died while covering the FIFA World Cup, his brother announced today.

Grant, 48, collapsed while covering the quarterfinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands at the Lusail Iconic Stadium on Friday.

Grant’s brother, Eric, alleged that the Qatari government may have been involved in the death of the former Sports Illustrated journalist.

“Eric Wahl is my name. In Seattle, Washington, I reside. I am the brother of Grant Wahl. I’m homosexual, “In a video uploaded to Instagram, he stated. “He wore the rainbow shirt to the World Cup because of me. My brother had a good life. He claimed to have received threats to his life. I don’t think my brother just passed away. I think he was murdered. I humbly ask for any assistance.”

Grant said that he was ordered to remove his rainbow shirt by World Cup security before the United States’ opening match against Wales at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan. When he tweeted about the event, he claimed that his phone had been taken away.

He continued by saying that a security guard at the location afterwards apologised to him and let him into the stadium. Additionally, he said that a FIFA representative had apologised to him.

It is still unknown if Grant passed away at the hospital or in transit.

We’re still investigating, Eric stated. “According to Celine, he fell at the stadium, had cpr, was transported by Uber to the hospital, where he passed away. Celine has spoken to Ron Klain and the White House, while we just had a conversation with the state department.”

Grant had earlier this week mentioned in his email that he had visited the media centre facility in Qatar for a checkup. I most likely have bronchitis, the local physicians stated.

“Finally, my body gave up on me. You may get that way after three weeks of little sleep, intense stress, and hard labour. I could sense a new degree of pressure and discomfort in my upper chest “According to Grant’s newsletter.

There have been concerns over the rights of fans travelling to the event, especially LGBT+ individuals and women, who are discriminated against by the Qatari government, according to rights groups.

The US Soccer Federation stated that “the whole US Soccer family is devastated to learn that we have lost Grant Wahl.” “Grant’s love for soccer and dedication to raising its prominence throughout our athletic scene helped to significantly increase interest in and respect for our wonderful game here in the United States. As significant, Grant’s conviction that video games might help improve human rights was and will continue to be an inspiration to everyone.”

Celine Gounder, an epidemiologist and authority on infectious illnesses, who is also Grant’s wife, voiced her disbelief on social media.