DOHA- (MaraviPost)- Renown U S. soccer journalist Grant Wahl collapsed and died while covering the Argentina-Netherlands match at the World Cup in Qatar on Friday evening.
Wahl’s wife, Dr Celine Gounder, confirmed her husband’s death in a statement on Twitter on Friday shortly after his death.
According to Wahl’s brother Eric, Grant’s passing is suspicious following his crashes with the Qatar authorities over his support for LGBTQ+ community which was followed by death threats.
“My name is Eric Wahl. I live in Seattle, Washington. I am Grant Wahl’s brother. I’m gay.
“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,” said Eric in a video clip.
The 48-year-old was covering Argentina’s quarterfinal win over the Netherlands on Friday before he collapsed at Lusail Iconic Stadium. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but passed away along the way to the hospital.
According to his brother, Grant was “healthy” before he collapsed during a game Friday which made him believe that his sudden passing was suspicious.
There is no information on the cause of Wahl’s passing, however, Qatar’s reaction to Wahl’s progressive views has made football fanatics across the globe to question the cause of his death .
Grant who works for CBS Sports and writes a popular Substack column recently made headlines after he was detained before the United States games against Wales for wearing a rainbow flag shirt in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community .
The veteran author and former Sports Illustrated reporter was barred entry prior to the detention as security guards demanded he remove a shirt showing a soccer ball surrounded by a rainbow.
U.S. Soccer released a statement via Twitter sending condolences to Grant’s family and the entire soccer community. The organization eulogized Grant as a powerful figure in the soccer community whose belief in the power of the game to advance human rights will remain inspirational to all.
Wahl started his career as a sports reporter with SI in November 1996 before making his way up to a senior writer for the publication in 2000. Prior to his professional career, he spent a summer in Argentina studying the political culture of clubs at Princeton University and His coverage specialized in international soccer, constantly expanding his love, knowledge and respect for the game.
He also worked with Fox Sports, as an on-air personality, and he wrote three books on the game: The Beckham Experiment, Masters of Modern Soccer and Football 2.0.
After leaving SI in 2020, he started his own Substack, “Fútbol with Grant Wahl,” to share his soccer coverage and worked at Meadowlark Media. He was also a producer on the Good Rivals docuseries on Prime Video.
He is survived by his wife, Dr. Céline Gounder, an infectious disease epidemiologist who served on Joe Biden’s coronavirus taskforce.