Prominent U.S. soccer journalist Grant Wahl died on Friday while covering the Argentina-Netherlands match. He was 49 years old.
Journalists are naturally in the ring of fire each day they report, but the likelihood of facing some sort of death threats for sports journalists is significantly less than for those covering hard news.
Wahl’s brother, Eric, made a statement breaking the news about the tragic death in a video shared on his Instagram.
“My name is Eric Wahl. I live in Seattle, Washington. I am Grant Wahl’s brother. I’m gay,” he said. “I’m the reason he wore the rainbow shirt to the World Cup. 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 just beg for any help.”
Wahl fainted and dropped to the ground near the end of the soccer match in the press area, according to Qatar’s World Cup organizers. He was taken to an “immediate medical treatment on site,” and was then transferred to the Hamad General Hospital, though his cause of death is unclear.
“We’re still trying to find out,” Eric continued. “He collapsed at the stadium, was given CPR, was taken by Uber to hospital and died according to Celine. We just spoke with the state department and Celine has spoken to Ron Klain and the White House.”
Wahl revealed on his podcast Futbol with Grant Wahl that he had been dealing with bronchitis while feeling under the weather, the day before his death.
“My body I think told me, even after the U.S. went out, ‘dude, you are not sleeping enough.’ It rebelled on me,” Wahl said on the podcast. “So I’ve had a case of bronchitis this week, I’ve been to the medical clinic at the media center twice now, including today. I’m feeling better today I basically canceled everything on this Thursday that I had and napped. And I’m doing slightly better. I think you can probably tell in my voice that I’m not 100 percent.
Wahl’s body arrived in New York on Monday and is in possession of the New York City medical examiner, according to a statement from the U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Monday.
When asked about the possibilities of the unusual and sudden death, Price said there is “no indication of foul play or anything nefarious at this point.”
“We did receive excellent cooperation from our Qatari partners as soon as we learned of Grant Wahl’s passing,” Price said. “Our ambassador … was in regular contact with senior officials in the Qatari government in an effort to see to it that we were in a position to fulfill the wishes of the family as expeditiously as possible.”
The New York City Medical Examiner’s Office released a statement revealing the cause of death on Wednesday afternoon. They determined Wahl died from a “slowly growing, undetected ascending aortic aneurysm with hemopericardium.”
Wahl covered soccer for over two decades. He reported on 11 World Cups, 6 men’s and 5 women’s, according to his website.
A second journalist covering the World Cup in Qatar died hours after Wahl.
Khalid al-Misslam, a Qatari, was a photojournalist for Al Kass TV and died suddenly while covering the match.
“Al Kass TV photojournalist Khalid al-Misslam passed away recently,” the Gulf Times tweeted. “Al-Misslam, a Qatari, died suddenly while covering the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. We believe in Allah’s mercy and forgiveness for him, and send our deepest condolences to his family.”
The circumstances surrounding his death are unclear. On Monday, he visited the medical clinic in Qatar, after feeling unwell— he tested negative for COVID-19.
