Grant Wahl is a sideline journalist during halftime in this 2014 photo.
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Grant Wahl, a long-time soccer journalist, was killed in Qatar on Friday while covering the World Cup.
NPR national supervising editor Russell Lewis tweeted that Wahl was covering the Argentina-Netherlands quarterfinal match when he died. Wahl was 48.
Multiple news organizations reported Wahl collapsed In the press tribune, and was attended to by paramedics.
It was not possible to determine the cause of death immediately.
U.S. Soccer stated in a statement that it was “heartbroken” by Wahl’s passing.
The organization stated that Grant was a journalist of high quality who could deliver interesting and entertaining stories about soccer.
A Dec. 5 post on his personal website, Wahl claimed he felt sick. The World Cup medical personnel told him that he had likely developed bronchitis. He claimed he was administered antibiotics.
He wrote, “My body finally gave up on me.” Three weeks of low sleep, high stress, and a lot of work can lead to that. My cold that had been mild for the past 10 days became a more serious one on the night of USA-Netherlands. I could feel my upper chest become more uncomfortable and put pressure on it.
His wife, Dr. Céline Gounder, tweeted Friday night, the news came as a complete shock.
“I am so thankful for the support of my husband @GrantWahl’s soccer family & of so many friends who’ve reached out tonight,” she said.
The U.S. State Department stated that it had urged Qatar to honor his family’s wishes but didn’t specify exactly what they were.
Ned Price, State Department spokesperson, stated that Grant Wahl’s passing was “deeply saddened” said in a tweet.
Wahl wrote about the remarkable nature of the World Cup in Qatar. He also noted an incident that occurred Nov. 21. Wahl claimed that security stopped him and took him into custody because he refused a rainbow logo T-shirt. This symbolized solidarity. LGBTQ+ rights. In the country, same-sex relationships are illegal.
It all happened when he arrived in Al Rayyan at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium to cover the U.S. – Wales game. Wahl later confirmed that it was so. wrote.
Wahl claimed he was kept for more than 30 minutes and refused to take off his shirt until a security officer arrived to free him.
In an interview with MSNBC, he relayed the story. Andrea Mitchell Reports.
Mitchell said that Wahl was left wondering what gay Qataris are going through.
Wahl was also written about The treatment of migrant workers at Qatar, where many have been reportedly died In the years before the World Cup.
Wahl hails from Mission in Kansas. He was an undergraduate at Princeton University.
According to a biography from the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference Wahl participated in at least 10 World Cups, and five Olympics.
He was well-known for his work in Sports Illustrated and as an NPR commentator. The Beckham Experiment is a book he wrote about David Beckham and his foray into U.S soccer.
It was the New York Times’ first bestseller with soccer as its topic.
Sports Illustrated’s top editors announced late Friday that he had left the magazine in 1996 to pursue independent projects in 2020.
SI’s coeditors in chief Ryan Hunt and Stephen Cannella said that they were shocked and deeply saddened by Grant’s death. We were proud to have been able to call Grant a friend and colleague for over two decades. In the history of SI, no writer has been more passionate than he was about the sport he loved or the stories he wanted.
Many soccer organizations responded to Wahl’s passing late Friday. The National Soccer Hall of Fame said Few people supported the idea that the greatest players should be honored as he did. Major League Soccer said Wahl’s passion was unstoppable; Angel City Football Club in Los Angeles was the result. said He makes soccer better.
National Women’s Soccer League declared in a statement, “His commitment was unmatched to sharing stories of our beautiful sport, but more importantly his integrity, thoughtfulness, and kindness were central to how he lived.” statement.
Wahl was credited by some of Wahl’s readers with growing the fan base for the sport in the United States.
Franklin Leonard, TV and Film Producer, stated that Wahl’s contribution to the game is difficult to measure.
He said, “If your only interest is American football and not the beautiful game of it, it might be difficult to grasp Grant Wahl’s meaning for the people who are.” tweeted“And honestly, I’m kind of at a loss to explain it.”