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Prominent American soccer journalist Grant Wahl has died at age 48 while covering the World Cup in Qatar. Wahl collapsed while at the Argentina-Nethlerlands game on Friday afternoon.
“This was towards the end of extra time in the match. Suddenly, colleagues up to my left started shouting for medical assistance. Obviously, someone had collapsed. Because the chairs are freestanding, people were able to move the chairs, so it’s possible to create a little bit of space around him,” Keir Radnedge, a columnist at World Soccer Magazine, told CNN.
SportsCenter's Grant Wahl report, including comments from LeBron James, whom Wahl profiled in the iconic Sports Illustrated cover story “The Chosen One." pic.twitter.com/8RaCMMPJ0B
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 10, 2022
Additional details about the circumstances surrounding Wahl’s death are unclear.
Earlier in the World Cup, Wahl was briefly detained while wearing a shirt showing support of the LGBTQ community.
U.S. Soccer Statement On The Passing Of Grant Wahl: pic.twitter.com/CBp1mCK1mQ
— U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) December 10, 2022
“The entire US Soccer family is heartbroken to learn that we have lost Grant Wahl,” US Soccer said 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.”
Wahl’s brother also released a statement on social media after news of the tragic passing surfaced.
This is a video posted to the Instagram account of Eric Wahl, saying that he is Grant Wahl’s brother.
In the video, he said he is the reason Grant wore the rainbow shirt to the World Cup & that he believes Grant was killed. (Instagram: @eewahl) pic.twitter.com/krOoXuSjVc
— Jeanna Trotman (@JeannaTrotmanTV) December 10, 2022
Our deepest condolences go out to Wahl’s family and friends during this incredibly difficult and tragic time.
