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United States sports writer Grant Wahl has died in Qatar while covering the World Cup, according to US Soccer and public broadcaster NPR.
Key points:
- US media seated near Wahl said he fell back in his seat during the quarterfinal
- They called for assistance but he could not be revived
- Wahl wrote earlier in the week that he had visited a hospital in Qatar due to illness
"NPR can confirm the death of longtime soccer sportswriter Grant Wahl. He died today in Doha, Qatar while covering the Argentina-Netherlands World Cup quarterfinal," NPR reporter Russell Lewis tweeted.
US Soccer said it was "heartbroken to learn that we have lost Grant Wahl."
His wife, Celine Grounder, responded to the US Soccer statement on Twitter, saying she was "in complete shock".
US media seated near Wahl said he fell back in his seat in the media tribune at Lusail Iconic Stadium during extra time and reporters adjacent to him called for assistance.
Emergency services workers responded very quickly, the reporters said, adding they later were told that Wahl had died.
Wahl wrote Monday that he had visited a hospital while in Qatar.
"My body finally broke down on me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you," Wahl wrote.
"What had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort.
"I didn't have COVID (I test regularly here), but I went into the medical clinic at the main media centre 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."
Wahl wrote that he had been among 82 journalists honoured by FIFA and the international sports press association AIPS for attending eight or more World Cups.
Wahl was covering his eighth World Cup.
He said last month that he was briefly detained when he tried to enter a World Cup stadium in Qatar while wearing a rainbow shirt, in support of the LGBTQ community in a country where same-sex relations are illegal.
He said in late November that World Cup security denied him entry to the US's opener against Wales at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan and asked him to take his shirt off.
He was also tweeting about the Netherlands-Argentina match earlier on Friday.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price expressed condolences to Wahl's family on Twitter.
"We are engaged with senior Qatari officials to see to it that his family's wishes are fulfilled as expeditiously as possible," Mr Price said.
LeBron James remembers Sports Illustrated cover story
A 1996 graduate of Princeton, Wahl worked for Sports Illustrated from 1996 to 2021, known primarily for his coverage of soccer and college basketball.
Among Wahl's work before he began covering soccer exclusively was a Sports Illustrated cover story about LeBron James in 2002, when James was a junior at St Vincent-St Mary High in Akron, Ohio.
"He was always pretty cool to be around. He spent a lot of time in my hometown of Akron," James said in Philadelphia after the Los Angeles Lakers lost in overtime to the 76ers.
"Any time his name would come up, I'll always think back to me as a teenager having Grant in our building down at St V's.
"It's a tragic loss. It's unfortunate to lose someone as great as he was. I wish his family the best. May he rest in paradise."
ABC/wires