Mystery: Journalist Drops Dead Covering The World Cup

Daily Mail US Composite 12/10/22

Grant Wahl, a highly regarded soccer journalist who wrote extensively on the game, died Friday in Qatar, where he was covering the World Cup quarterfinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands.

The NY Times reports Wahl’s agent, Tim Scanlan, confirmed the death in a phone interview on Friday night. Scanlan said that Wahl had been in the press box in the closing minutes of the match when he went into acute distress.

He is believed to have died, Scanlan said, at a hospital in Qatar or while he was being taken to one, after feeling unwell as the tournament proceeded.

“He wasn’t sleeping well, and I asked him if he tried melatonin or anything like,” Scanlan said. “He said, ‘I just need to like relax for a bit.’”

According to two New York Times journalists who were present, medical personnel performed chest compressions and other treatment for about 20 minutes before Wahl was taken out of Lusail Iconic Stadium.

Wahl was in the midst of his eighth men’s World Cup, with an aggressive schedule of reporting stories and recording podcasts.

Wahl’s wife, Dr. Celine Gounder, also confirmed the death in a post on Twitter. A family friend said that Gounder asked for privacy, and would leave all public comment to the U.S. Embassy in Qatar and the United States Soccer Federation.

Wahl collapsed during a game Friday, according to brother Eric in an Instagram video he posted. Eric, who is gay, said through tears that he believes his brother - who had been detained before the United States' tournament opener against Wales for wearing a rainbow flag shirt - may have been killed. 

He covered American soccer on Substack and previously worked for  CBS Sports, NBC News, Fox Sports and Sports Illustrated.

Wahl said: 'I am the reason he wore the rainbow shirt to the world cup. I do not believe my brother just died, I believe he was killed.' He stated in the comments of the Instagram post that his brother's wife - Dr. Celine Gounder, who worked on the Biden administration's COVID-19 response team - has been in touch with White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain. 

Gounder tweeted Friday night: 'I am so thankful for the support of my husband @GrantWahl's soccer family & of so many friends who've reached out tonight. I'm in complete shock.'

Ned Price, a State Department spokesman, said U.S. officials were in contact with Wahl’s family and were “engaged with senior Qatari officials to see to it that his family’s wishes are fulfilled as expeditiously as possible.”

Grant Wahl, the American soccer journalist who was kicked out of a World Cup stadium in Qatar for wearing a pride shirt has reportedly collapsed during a game today.

His brother says Grant was fully healthy and believes there’s foul play. pic.twitter.com/DNdf8gGMH0

— OutKick (@Outkick) December 10, 2022

Wahl, 48, began his professional journalism career in 1996, at Sports Illustrated, where he worked for more than 23 years. He started out covering both soccer and college basketball, and wrote the magazine’s first cover story on LeBron James, titled “The Chosen One,” in 2002, when James was a junior in high school. Wahl then transitioned to cover soccer exclusively and his career grew in prominence alongside the sport in the United States.