LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) – Grant Wahl, one of America’s best-known soccer writers, died early Saturday while covering the World Cup match between Argentina and the Netherlands.
American media sitting near him said Wahl fell back in his seat in the media stand at the iconic Lusail Stadium during overtime and adjacent reporters called for help. Emergency workers responded very quickly, the reporters said, and were later told that Wahl had died.
Wahl tweeted Wednesday that he had celebrated his birthday that day. American journalists who met Wahl said he was 49 years old.
Wahl was covering his eighth World Cup. He wrote on his website on Monday that he had visited a medical clinic while in Qatar.
“My body finally broke up with me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and a lot of work can do that,” Wahl wrote. “What had been a cold for the past 10 days turned into something more serious the night of the USA vs Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort” .
Wahl wrote that he tested negative for COVID-19 and sought treatment for his symptoms.
“I went to the medical clinic in the main media center today and was told I probably have bronchitis. They gave me a course of antibiotics and some cough syrup and I’m feeling a little better a few hours later . But still: No, well,” he wrote.
During the World Cup, Wahl drew international attention after he said he was briefly prevented from attending the United States’ game against Wales on Nov. 21 because he was wearing a rainbow-colored jersey. Rainbow armbands, T-shirts and other items have been a focus of attention during the tournament, in part because of Qatar’s stance on LGBTQ rights. Gay and lesbian sex is criminalized in Qatar, a conservative Muslim nation on the Arabian Peninsula. Wahl said FIFA later apologized to him for the incident.
Wahl wrote this week that he had been among 82 journalists honored by FIFA and the international sports press association AIPS for attending eight or more World Cups.
A 1996 graduate of Princeton, Wahl worked for Sports Illustrated from 1996 to 2021, known primarily for its coverage of college football and basketball. He then launched his own website.
Wahl also worked for Fox Sports from 2012 to 2019.
He is survived by his wife, Dr. Celine Gounder, a clinical associate professor of medicine at New York University School of Medicine, a physician at Bellevue Hospital Center and a medical news contributor for CBS News.
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AP World Cup coverage: i