Sunday, June 1, 2025
18.8 C
London

Journalist dies in Qatar World Cup

- Advertisement -

A RARE tragedy for a football journalist Grant Wahl to kick the bucket during the Qatar World Cup.

Very unusual, I must say. American Grant Wahl died after collapsing while covering the World Cup. This sparked an outpouring of shock and grief across the sports world. He was 49.

He reportedly “collapsed” while covering Friday’s Argentina-Netherlands match.

Qatar’s World Cup organisers said Wahl “fell ill” in the press area, where he received “immediate medical treatment on site.” 

- Advertisement -

He then got transferred to Hamad General Hospital, said a spokesperson for the Supreme Court Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the body responsible for planning the tournament.

COLLASPED JOURNALIST

He was treated in the stadium “for about 20-25 minutes” before he was moved to the hospital, Keir Radnedge, a columnist at World Soccer Magazine, said.

“This was towards the end of extra time in the match. Suddenly, colleagues up to my left started shouting for medical assistance. Obviously, someone had collapsed. Because the chairs are freestanding, people were able to move the chairs, so it’s possible to create a little bit of space around him,” Radnedge said.

He added that the medical team were there “pretty quickly and were able to, as best they could, give treatment.”

- Advertisement -

HEARTBROKEN

The circumstances around his death are not immediately clear. Wahl had been reportedly tweeting during the match, which was part of the eighth World Cup he had covered.

“The entire U.S. soccer family is heartbroken to learn that we have lost Grant Wahl,” the USA Soccer Federation said in a statement. “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.”

A prolific journalist, Wahl wrote for multiple outlets and was a CBS Sports contributor. He was an analyst on CBS Sports HQ throughout the Qatar World Cup, and wrote guest columns focused on the USA men’s national team for CBS Sports. He was also an editorial consultant for soccer documentaries on Paramount.

Wahl was married to Dr. Céline Gounder, a CBS News medical contributor. Gounder tweeted that she was “in complete shock” and thanked Wahl’s “soccer family” and their friends for their support as the news was reported.

- Advertisement -

Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber states:  “We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken over the tragic passing of Grant Wahl. He was a kind and caring person whose passion for soccer and dedication to journalism were immeasurable.”

* Suresh Nair is an award-winning sports journalist who is also a qualified international coach and international referee instructor.

More content related to international news.

- Advertisement -

Hot this week

Kate Middleton expecting twins, according to reports

According to news on the Internet, the Duchess of...

Is BTS’s Taehyung colour blind?

The rumour mill online has been speculating that Korean...

Hurley wore ‘the dress’ after being snubbed by top fashion designers

Model Liz Hurley became famous after wearing "the dress"...

Hyun Bin taking legal action against rumours involving Son Ye Jin

While the hottest K-drama screening on-air is undoubtedly Crash...

HK protesters call for boycott of Ip Man 4: The Finale

Hong Kong -- The final instalment of the Ip...

Dynasty or Democracy? Nurul Izzah’s Comeback Sparks Uproar in PKR as Rafizi Cries Foul

Anwar Ibrahim is renowned for his out-of-the-box thinking, which...

ChatGPT at two — and OpenAI’s vision for the future

Two years after OpenAI launched ChatGPT, the groundbreaking AI...

Vertical Institute Unveils Generative AI Course to Meet Growing Demand for Digital Proficiency

The future of work is undeniably intertwined with artificial...

Jimmy Carter: The Nobel US president who lived to be 100

Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who became the 39th...

Manmohan Singh: The leader who transformed India

Manmohan Singh's story is one of remarkable transformation, both...

Why AI ‘hallucinates’: What’s missing in the models

The American writer Richard Powers' latest novel, Playground, delves...

Challenging job market diminishes appeal of postgraduate studies in China

China is seeing a significant decline in postgraduate entrance...

Related Articles

Popular Categories

spot_img