American football writer Wahl dies while covering World Cup quarter-finals | football news

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Grant Wahl was at the Netherlands-Argentina match when he collapsed.

American football is in mourning after the death of American football writer Grant Wahl, who died while in Qatar while covering the World Cup.

An Associated Press report said Wahl, 49, collapsed when he was watching the Argentina-Netherlands quarter-final match from the press area at Lusail Stadium on Friday night, prompting fellow journalists to seek medical attention.

Wahl, who was removed from the media section on a stretcher, was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Reporters who witnessed the accident said that paramedics arrived at the scene quickly.

Wahl’s agent, Tim Scanlan, told the Reuters news agency that the reporter “seemed to be in some kind of acute distress at the start of extra time” in the match.

“Everyone is emotional and it really hurts,” Scanlan said. “He was a true advocate for both the men’s and women’s games and he cared so much about the sport. He was so sympathetic and was a really great writer.”

Wahl, who has been covering the World Cup finals for the eighth time, celebrated his 49th birthday on Wednesday.

“He received immediate urgent medical treatment at the site and continued as he was transferred by ambulance to Hamad General Hospital,” the World Cup Organizing Committee said in a statement, without mentioning the cause of death.

“We are in contact with the US Embassy and relevant local authorities to ensure that the repatriation of the body is in line with the family’s wishes.”

I celebrated my birthday tonight with a great group of media friends at the World Cup. No matches today but very thankful to everyone ❤️

— Subscribe to GrantWahl.com (@GrantWahl) December 7, 2022

Wal wrote, on Monday, on social media about his ill health, which necessitated him to visit a medical center in Qatar. It was believed that his grueling work schedule surrounding World Cup coverage had taken a toll on his health.

“My body finally collapsed on me. Three weeks of too little sleep, too much stress, and too much work can do that to you,” Wahl wrote in Substack.

“What had been a cold for the past 10 days turned into something much more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I felt my upper chest experience a new level of pressure and discomfort.”

Waal added that he had tested negative for COVID-19, which he has been screened for regularly since his arrival in Doha last month.

He added, “I went to the medical clinic at the main media center today, and they said I most likely had bronchitis.” “They gave me a course of antibiotics and some heavy duty cough syrup, and I actually feel a little better after just a few hours. But still: no bueno.”

The US Soccer Federation said on Friday that Wahl’s death was “sad”.

“We can always count on Grant to provide insightful and entertaining stories about our game and its key heroes,” the federation said in a statement.

NFL statement regarding the death of Grant Wahl: pic.twitter.com/CBp1mCK1mQ

– US Soccer (@ussoccer) December 10, 2022

Wahl was wearing a rainbow shirt in support of LGBTQ rights in the World Cup opener against Wales on November 21 and wrote that he was refused entry by security and told to remove the shirt.

Wahl said FIFA later apologized to him for the incident, to which he said he was suspended for 25 minutes before he was allowed onto the field.

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