Grant Wahl, US sports reporter, dies after collapsing at Qatar World Cup

Doha: A leading American sports reporter, who last month had a run-in with Qatar’s World Cup organisers over a rainbow LGBTQ shirt, died while covering a tense quarter-final match Friday, his family said. FIFA World Cup: Fixtures | Results | Points Table | Squads | Records Grant Wahl, 48, helped build football’s popularity in the United States through his vivid reporting for Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports and other media. Wahl collapsed in the press tribune during Friday’s Argentina-Netherlands game. The Wall Street Journal said he suffered a suspected heart attack.

I am so thankful for the support of my husband @GrantWahl's soccer family & of so many friends who've reached out tonight.

I'm in complete shock. https://t.co/OB3IzOxGlE

— Céline Gounder, MD, ScM, FIDSA 🇺🇦 (@celinegounder) December 10, 2022

Wahl’s wife Celine Gounder, a renowned epidemiologist, said on Twitter: “I’m in complete shock.“A Qatar organising committee spokesperson said “he received immediate emergency medical treatment on site, which continued as he was transferred by ambulance to Hamad General Hospital.” “We offer our deepest condolences to Grant’s family, friends and his many close colleagues in the media,” the statement added. World Cup ‘stress’

Just now: Security guard refusing to let me into the stadium for USA-Wales. “You have to change your shirt. It’s not allowed.” pic.twitter.com/TvSGThMYq8

— Subscribe to GrantWahl.com (@GrantWahl) November 21, 2022

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Organisers did not mention an incident just before the 21 November match between the United States and Wales when Wahl was stopped as he entered the stadium for wearing a rainbow shirt in support of LGBTQ rights. Qatar criminalises homosexuality and Wahl said security guards told him the shirt was “political”. Also Read | Who was Grant Wahl - the US journalist who wore a rainbow shirt in Qatar? Widespread tributes were paid to the journalist who had been covering his eighth World Cup, starting with the 1994 tournament in the United States. “His love for football was immense and his reporting will be missed by all who follow the global game,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino in a statement. “Grant made soccer his life’s work, and we are devastated that he and his brilliant writing will no longer be with us,” US Soccer said. The “entire US Soccer family is heartbroken,” it added. “Fans of soccer and journalism of the highest quality knew we could count on Grant to deliver insightful and entertaining stories about our game, and its major protagonists: teams, players, coaches and… many personalities that make soccer unlike any sport.” Wahl said on his subscription newsletter earlier this week that he’d gone to a clinic at the media center in Qatar, “and they said I probably have bronchitis.” “My body finally broke down on me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you… I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort,” he wrote. With some antibiotics and “some heavy duty cough syrup” Wahl said he was “feeling a bit better just a few hours later. But still: No bueno.” Wahl joined Sports Illustrated, then the leading US sports publication, in 1996 to report on football. He remained at the magazine until 2020, joining CBS Sports a year later. He also had a subscription email newsletter, and was posting to that during the World Cup. He was recently among journalists honoured by the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) for their work.

We were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Grant Wahl and send our condolences to his family, with whom we have been in close communication. We are engaged with senior Qatari officials to see to it that his family’s wishes are fulfilled as expeditiously as possible.

— State Department Spokesperson 2013-2025 (@statedeptspox_a) December 10, 2022

US State Department spokesman Ned Price tweeted: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Grant Wahl” and added that US authorities have been “in close communication” with his family. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News ,  India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.