US football journalist Grant Wahl dies while covering the World Cup in Qatar

Grant Wahl, a longtime football sportswriter, died in Qatar on Friday while covering the World Cup.

NPR national executive editor Russell Lewis tweeted that Wahl was covering the quarter-final game between Argentina and the Netherlands when he died. Choice was 48.

Grant Wahl in 2013. Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images

Several news organizations reported that Wahl collapsed in the press gallery and was treated by paramedics.

The cause of death was not immediately available.

US Soccer said in its statement that the team was “heartbroken” by Wahl’s death.

“Fans of football and journalism of the highest quality knew that we could always count on Grant to provide insightful and entertaining stories about our game,” the organization said.

In a December 5 post on his personal website, Wahl said he felt ill and that medical staff at the World Cup had told him he probably had bronchitis. He said he was given antibiotics.

“My body eventually collapsed on me,” he wrote. “Three weeks of little sleep, a lot of stress and a lot of work can do that to you. What had been a cold for the past 10 days turned into something heavier on the night of the USA-Netherlands game and I could feel my upper chest taking a new one level of pressure and discomfort.”

His wife, dr. Celine Gounder, tweeted late Friday that the news was a “complete shock”.

“I’m so grateful for the support of my husband @GrantWahl’s football family and so many friends who reached out tonight,” she said.

The US State Department said it had urged the Qatar government to grant his family’s wishes, but did not specify what they were.

“We were deeply saddened to learn of Grant Wahl’s death and offer our condolences to his family, with whom we have been in close communication,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a tweet.

In his letter, Wahl had reflected on the extraordinary nature of a World Cup in Qatar, mentioning an incident on November 21 when he said he was stopped and detained by security forces for refusing to remove a t-shirt with a rainbow logo that meant solidarity with LGBTQ+ rights. Same-sex relationships are illegal in the country.

It happened when he arrived at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan to cover the USA-Wales game, Wahl later wrote.

Wahl said he was held for more than 30 minutes and refused to remove his shirt until a security commander came to release him and shake his hand.

He detailed the incident in an interview on MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports.

“I was wondering what it’s like for Qataris who are here outside of the World Cups and who are gay because I had to deal with that at an event that had global coverage,” Wahl told Mitchell.

Wahl had also written about the treatment of migrant workers in Qatar, where hundreds have reportedly died in the years leading up to the World Cup.

A native of Mission, Kansas, Wahl attended Princeton University as an undergraduate.

Wahl has covered at least 10 world championships and five Olympics, according to an MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference biography.

He was known for his work for Sports Illustrated and as a commentator for NPR. He wrote an acclaimed book about David Beckham’s foray into US soccer called The Beckham Experiment.

It was the first New York Times bestseller on the subject of football.

Sports Illustrated’s top editors said late Friday that he started there in 1996 and left in 2020 to pursue independent projects.

“We are shocked and devastated by the news of Grant’s death,” said SI Co-Editors Ryan Hunt and Stephen Cannella. “We were proud to call him a colleague and friend for two decades. No writer in SI history has been so passionate about the sport he loved and the stories he wanted to tell.”

Numerous football organizations responded to Wahl’s death late on Friday. the National Soccer Hall of Fame said few supported the idea of ​​honoring the greatest players as he did; Major League Soccer said Wahl’s passion for the game was immeasurable; and Angel City Football Club of Los Angeles said Football “is better because of him.”

“His commitment to sharing the stories of our beautiful game was second to none, but more importantly, his integrity, thoughtfulness and kindness were central to the way he lived,” said the National Women’s Soccer League in a expression.

He was credited by some of Wahl’s readers with helping grow the sport’s fan base in the United States.

Film and television producer Franklin Leonard said Wahl’s importance to the game in the United States was difficult to measure.

“Unless you’re both an American and a fan of the beautiful game, it might be extremely difficult to understand the importance of Grant’s choice to the community of people who are,” he said tweeted“and honestly, I’m kind of at a loss to articulate it.”

Dennis Romero

Dennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.

Alex Lo and Emma Li contributed.

Source : www.nbcnews.com