The American professional, who covered the World Cup, showed a shirt with the rainbow flag and his brother believes that “they killed him”
American journalist Grant Wahl died this Friday in Qatar while covering the World Cup quarterfinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands, as reported by the United States Soccer Federation.
The cause of his death has not been disclosed at this time, however His brother has denounced through Instagram that the football journalist could have been murdered since days before was approached by Doha authorities for wearing a rainbow flag t-shirt in support of the LGTBI community. “My name is Eric Wahl. I live in Seattle, Washington. I am the brother of Grant Wahl. I am gay,” he stated in the video, according to the ‘New York Post’. “I’m the reason he wore the rainbow jersey at the World Cup. My brother was healthy. He told me he received death threats. I don’t think my brother just died. I think he was killed. And I just ask for any aid”.
Apparently, Wahl collapsed during the game where he underwent cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers, after which he was transferred to a hospital. However, it is unknown if the journalist died during the journey or once he had arrived at the medical center.
According to CNN, Wahl had mentioned in an episode of his podcast that his body was warning him that he was not “sleeping well” and in the last week had felt severe pressure in his chest, for which he had visited the media-enabled medical clinic on two occasions, where it had been diagnosed as bronchitis. However, this Thursday he had stated that he felt better after resting, since during the confrontation between the United States and the Netherlands he said he had experienced an “involuntary surrender of body and mind”.
The journalist was married to Céline R. Gounder, a doctor specializing in infectious diseases who was part of Biden’s coronavirus advisory. “I am very grateful for the support of my husband Grant Wahl from the football family and from so many friends who have communicated tonight. I am in complete shock,” she wrote on the social network Twitter. Celine has already spoken with the White House, as reported by the deceased’s brother and later confirmed by State Department spokesman Ned Price, who has claimed to be in “close communication” with the family. “We are engaged with senior Qatari officials to ensure his family’s wishes are carried out as quickly as possible,” Price wrote on his Twitter account.
Wahl, at 48, was one of the leading names in journalism that covers football and for two decades he positioned himself as the main writer of this sport in Sports Illustrated, until 2020 when he started writing for a portal with a subscription to payment. One of Wahl’s latest posts on this website dealt with the death of a migrant worker in Qatar during the World Cup and the indifferent reaction of local authoritiesas reported by DPA.
The Football Federation of the North American country has transmitted that it is “heartbroken” for having lost this professional. “We thank Grant for his tremendous dedication and impact on our game in the United States. His writings and the stories he told will live on,” they wrote in the statement posted on Twitter.