Prominent American journalist Grant Wall has died in Qatar after collapsing while covering the World Cup, sparking an outpouring of shock and grief across the sporting world.
He “collapsed” while covering Friday’s Argentina-Netherlands match, a witness told CNN.
Qatar World Cup organizers said on Saturday that Wahl “fell ill” in the press area, where he received “immediate medical treatment on site”. He was then taken to Hamad General Hospital, said a spokesman for the Supreme Court’s Committee on Tradition and Heritage, the body responsible for planning the tournament.
The circumstances surrounding his death are unclear.
“The entire US Soccer family is heartbroken to learn that we have lost Grant Wahl,” US Soccer said in a statement on its official Twitter account.
“Grant made football his life’s work and we are devastated that he and his brilliant writing will no longer be with us.”
US Soccer praised Wahl’s passion and “belief in the power of the game to advance human rights” and shared its condolences with Wahl’s wife, Celine Gounder, and his loved ones.
Gunter also tweeted US Soccer’s statement.
“I am so grateful for the support of my husband Grant Wahl’s football family and so many friends who came tonight. I am in complete shock,” wrote Gounder, a former CNN contributor who served on the Biden-Harris transition advisory council on Covid-19.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said the department was in “close communication” with Wall’s family. World Cup organizers also said they were in contact with the US embassy “to ensure the process of repatriating the body is in accordance with the wishes of the family”.
Wahl had been involved in soccer for more than two decades, including 11 World Cups, and wrote several books about the sport, according to his website.
He just celebrated his birthday earlier this week with “a great group of media friends at the World Cup,” according to a post on his official Twitter account, which added: “So thankful for everyone.”
In an episode of the Futbol podcast with Grant Wahl, published days before his death on December 6, he had complained of feeling unwell.
“It had gotten really bad in terms of the tightness in the chest, the tightness, the pressure. I feel pretty hairy, ugly,” Wahl told co-host Chris Wittyngham on the episode. He added that he sought help at the medical clinic in the World Cup media center, thinking he had bronchitis.
He was given cough syrup and ibuprofen and felt better soon after, he said.
Wahl also said he experienced an “involuntary capitulation of my body and mind” after the Dec. 3 USA-Holland game.
“This is not my first rodeo. I’ve done eight of them on the men’s side,” he said at the time. “And so, I’ve gotten sick to some degree in every tournament, and it’s just trying to find a way to like your job done.”
He further described the incident in a recent newsletter published on December 5, writing that his body had “broken down” after having little sleep, high stress and a heavy workload. She had a cold for 10 days that “turned into something more serious,” she wrote, adding that she felt better after taking antibiotics and sleeping.
Wahl had made headlines in November for reporting that he was arrested and briefly denied entry into a World Cup match for wearing a rainbow T-shirt in support of LGBTQ rights.
He said security staff had told him to change his shirt because it was “not allowed” and had taken his phone. Wahl said he was released 25 minutes after being detained and received an apology from a FIFA representative and a senior member of the security team at the stadium.
Afterwards, Wahl told CNN that he would “probably” wear the jersey again.
Wahl’s death has shocked the football and sports journalism community, with tributes pouring in on social media.
“Just a few days ago, Grant was recognized by FIFA and AIPS (the International Sports Press Association) for his contribution to the reporting of eight consecutive FIFA World Cups,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
The editors of Sports Illustrated, the publication where Wall spent most of his career, said in a joint statement that they were “shocked and devastated by the news of Grant’s death.”
“We were proud to call him a colleague and friend for two decades — no writer in (Sports Illustrated’s) history was more passionate about the sport he loved and the stories he wanted to tell,” the statement said.
He added that Wahl first joined the publication in November 1996. He had volunteered to cover the sport as a junior reporter – before reaching the heights of global popularity he now enjoys – and eventually became “one of the most respected soccer authorities in the people,” he said.
The statement said Wahl also worked with other media outlets, including Fox Sports. After leaving Sports Illustrated in 2020, he began publishing his podcast and newsletter.
On Friday in Philadelphia, basketball star LeBron James said he “loved Grant a lot.” While Wahl was at Sports Illustrated, he did a cover for James when James was in high school.
“I’ve always watched from a distance, even when I came up through the ranks and turned pro, and he went to a different sport,” James said, speaking at a post-fight press conference. “Whenever his name comes up, I’ll always remember being a teenager and having Grant in our building … It’s a tragic loss.”
Other current and former US soccer players, including Ali Krieger and Tony Meola, shared their condolences, as did sports bodies such as Major League Soccer and the National Women’s Soccer League.
Wittyngham, the co-host of Wahl’s podcast, told CNN on Saturday that the news of his death was hard to take.
“For Americans, Grant Wahl is the first person you read football covers. He was the only person for a while … Grant was the first person to really pay real attention to this sport in a meaningful way,” Wittyngham said.
Several journalists have shared stories of reporting alongside Wahl, and having met him at several World Cups over the years.
“Before he was the best football announcer, he ran hoops and was so nice to me,” famous broadcaster Dick Vitale wrote.
Timmy T. Davis, the US ambassador to Qatar, tweeted that Wahl was “a well-known and respected reporter who focused on the beautiful game.”
