UK TABLOID
Sports journalist kicked out of stadium over rainbow shirt who died covering World Cup 'was killed' claims brother
10 December 2022, 13:01
An esteemed American journalist collapsed and died during a World Cup game on Friday, leading his brother to publicly claim he suspected he had been killed.
Grant Wahl was said to have been laughing and joking moments before he died suddenly during the Netherlands v Argentina quarter final in Qatar.
He had been stopped from entering a stadium to cover an earlier game between the USA and Wales because he was wearing a rainbow shirt, an LGBT symbol.
Mr Wahl's agent said he had gone into acute distress during the match while he was covering it, and Mr Wahl himself had said he had been suffering from suspected bronchitis.
But his distraught brother, Eric, who is gay, suspected foul play.
"I am the reason he wore the rainbow shirt to the world cup. My brother was healthy, he told me he received death threats," he said in a teary video.
"I do not believe my brother just died, I believe he was killed."
Mr Wahl had previously complained about being ill for some time before the game, saying his body "finally broke down" because he had gone three weeks with little sleep, high stress and doings lots of work.
He said a cold had developed into "something more severe" and his upper chest felt uncomfortable.
He later said: "I went into the medical clinic at the main media center today, and they said I probably have bronchitis.
"They gave me a course of antibiotics and some heavy-duty cough syrup, and I'm already feeling a bit better just a few hours later. But still: No bueno."
Read more:
Mr Wahl had failed to get into the USA v Wales game earlier in the tournament because he wore the rainbow shirt, saying a security guard had told him: "You have to change your shirt. It's not allowed."
There has been no official suggestion of foul play in his death. He had been laughing at a joke on Twitter minutes before he died, which happened shortly before the end of the game.
The football world left tributes to Mr Wahl, who was considered a key figure in popularising the sport in the States.
US Soccer said it was "heartbroken" and praised his "major role in helping to drive interest in and respect for our beautiful game".
It also said his belief that football could help with improving human rights was an "inspiration".
Fifa president Gianni Infantino said he had reacted to the news with sadness and disbelief, saying Mr Wahl had only recently been recognised for covering eight consecutive World Cups.
"His love for football was immense and his reporting will be missed by all who follow the global game."
U$ TABLOID
Brother of deceased American journalist Grant Wahl goes private on Instagram after alleging foul play
Grant Wahl died suddenly after collapsing during final minutes of World Cup quarterfinal Friday
By Timothy H.J. Nerozzi | Fox News
American soccer journalist Grant Wahl dies at World Cup
Fox News host Trace Gallagher shares breaking news regarding the death of one of the world's best-known soccer journalists, Grant Wahl, while covering the World Cup in Qatar on 'Fox News @ Night.'
The brother of recently deceased American sports journalist Grant Wahl has gone private on Instagram after speculating his brother was killed.
Wahl, 48, died after he "fell ill" at Lusail Stadium in the final minutes of a FIFA World Cup quarterfinal game between the Netherlands and Argentina Friday, a Qatari spokesperson said.
Grant Wahl, 48, working in Qatar in a rainbow shirt that prompted security outside the U.S.-Wales match to detain him for 25 minutes. (Getty Images )
The veteran soccer journalist had bronchitis and had visited a medical clinic twice in the days before his death, he revealed in a podcast episode. Wahl was laughing with colleagues just minutes before his sudden death, an eyewitness said.
Wahl had previously been blocked from entering a stadium while wearing a rainbow-colored shirt.
AMERICAN SOCCER JOURNALIST GRANT WAHL DIES WHILE COVERING FIFA WORLD CUP IN QATAR
Soccer player Jozy Altidore, left, and journalist Grant Wahl attend the 2017 St. Luke Foundation for Haiti benefit hosted by Kenneth Cole at the Garage on Jan. 10, 2017, in New York City.
Eric Wahl announced his brother's death on Instagram and made an emotional plea for help.
"I am gay. I am the reason he wore the rainbow shirt to the World Cup," Eric Wahl said. "My brother was healthy. He told me he received death threats. I do not believe my brother just died. I believe he was killed, and I'm just begging for any help."
Eric Wahl has now taken his Instagram profile private.
AMERICAN SOCCER JOURNALIST 'LAUGHING AT A JOKE' ON TWITTER MINUTES BEFORE COLLAPSE, WITNESS SAYS
Soccer journalist Grant Wahl and his wife, Dr. Céline Gounder.
Just a day before his death, Grant Wahl published a scathing criticism of Qatar's government and the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, asserting indifference to the deaths of workers who built the World Cup stadium.
"The Supreme Committee in charge of Qatar’s World Cup doesn’t care that a Filipino migrant worker died at Saudi Arabia’s training resort during the group stage. He suffered a fatal blow to the head during a fall in a forklift accident (information that was kept under wraps until being broken by The Athletic’s Adam Crafton)."
Grant Wahl with a World Cup replica trophy in recognition of his achievement covering eight or more FIFA World Cups, Nov. 29, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.
The Qatari Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy released a press statement acknowledging Wahl's death.
The committee said it is cooperating with U.S. officials to return Wahl's body to the U.S.
Fox News's Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
IN MEMORIAM
Wahl covered soccer for over two decades for Sports Illustrated and was covering his 8th Men's World Cup while in Doha
DECEMBER 10, 2022
VANITY FAIR
Grant Wahl reports on the Men's National Team of the United States and the Men's National Team of Ecuador as they played to a 1-1 draw in an international friendly at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT. on Oct. 10, 2014.
Highly-regarded American soccer journalist Grant Wahl died covering the World Cup in Qatar on Friday at age 48 after collapsing at the quarterfinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands.
Wahl fell back in his seat in a section of Lusail Stadium reserved for journalists during extra game time, and nearby reporters called for medical help. Emergency services arrived on the scene, treated him for 20 or 30 minutes on site and took him out on a stretcher,
The World Cup organizing committee said he was taken to Doha’s Hamad General Hospital, but it did not state a cause of death. “We are in touch with the US Embassy and relevant local authorities to ensure the process of repatriating the body is in accordance with the family’s wishes,” it said in a statement.
Following his passing, U.S. Soccer tweeted a statement that read, “The entire U.S. Soccer family is heartbroken to learn that we have lost Grant Wahl. Fans of soccer and journalism of the highest quality knew we could always count on Grant to deliver insightful and entertaining stories about our game, and its major protagonists: teams, players, coaches and the many personalities that make soccer unlike any sport here in the United States.“
Wahl's widow, Dr. Celine Gounder, retweeted that statement on Twitter, adding, “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.”
Wahl, who wrote for Sports Illustrated for over two decades and then started his own website, according to the Associated Press, was a major influence on soccer coverage during a time of increased interest after the U.S. hosted the 1994 World Cup. He also brought a critical eye to the organizational bodies of the international sport.
Wahl also worked for Fox Sports from 2012-19 and was hired by CBS Sports in 2021 as an analyst and editorial consultant. Wahl wrote the 2009 book “The Beckham Experiment” after English soccer star David Beckham joined Major League Soccer’s LA Galaxy, and the 2018 book “Masters of Modern Soccer.”
Wahl's agent Tim Scanlan also confirmed the prominent reporter's passing to the Times, explaining that Wahl was in the press box during the final minutes of the soccer match when he went into "acute distress." Scanlan said, “He wasn’t sleeping well, and I asked him if he tried melatonin or anything like that. He said, ‘I just need to like relax for a bit.’”
In his recent articles and podcasts covering the World Cup, Wahl discussed some of his health struggles during a time when his work only allowed him to get around five hours of sleep a night. At first, he wrote that he thought he just had a cold, but it “turned into something more severe” around December 3. He tested negative for COVID-19, but wrote that he “could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort.” Qatari medical officials believed he had bronchitis, and Wahl wrote that the antibiotics they prescribed seemed to work.
Earlier in the international soccer competition, Wahl had attracted headlines for his decision to wear a rainbow t-shirt supporting LGBTQ+ rights to the Wales v. United States game, as homosexuality is criminalized in Qatar. Stadium security had been stopping and questioning fans wearing rainbows or carrying flags, and Wahl wrote that he was also detained by Ahmad bin Ali Stadium's guards for 25 minutes. They told the reporter that his shirt was a political statement and that he needed to take it off, but he refused. A security supervisor later apologized to Wahl for detaining him and allowed him inside the stadium.
His death at the World Cup has left fellow journalists covering the games grief-stricken.
“You come to a World Cup as a journalist to work, to share the stresses, the pressures but also the enjoyments and the fascination of it — and to share that with your readers, your listeners, your viewers. That’s what Grant was doing, that’s what he enjoyed doing. Everybody recognized that enthusiasm in him,” said Keir Radnedge, a veteran British sports journalist told AP.
“So for him to not be with us anymore at such a young age, that’s an immense shock.”
No comments:
Post a Comment