• FIFA World Cup 2022: Grant Wahl died in the early hours of Saturday while covering the World Cup match between Argentina and Netherlands.
An American journalist who was briefly detained in Qatar for wearing a rainbow shirt in support of the LGBTQ community died on Friday. Grant Wahl, a football journalist in Qatar to cover the 2022 FIFA World Cup, was detained on 21 November when he tried to enter the Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan wearing a rainbow shirt. At that point Wahl was asked to take off his shirt because the country is not a proponent of same-sex marriage.
He said that when he tweeted about the incident, his phone was snatched. Wahl wrote that he was detained in the stadium for 25 minutes, then a security commander let him go. Wahl said FIFA has apologized to him.
Now, nearly two weeks later, Wahl died in the early hours of Saturday while covering a World Cup match between Argentina and the Netherlands. Paramedics performed CPR at the scene before carrying him away on a stretcher. The Wall Street Journal said that Wahl had apparently suffered a heart attack.
Wahl's brother Eric released a video asking for help. Eric alleges that something is wrong with his brother being healthy. In a video message, Eric sobs, "My name is Eric Wahl and I'm Grant Wahl's brother. I'm gay and that's why he wore the rainbow shirt at the World Cup. My brother was healthy. He told me Told he was getting threats. I can't believe my brother is dead now. I believe he was. I just beg for help".
Eric Wahl, the brother of sportswriter Grant Wahl, who died in Qatar while covering the World Cup, is asking for help.
Grant was detained in Qatar two weeks ago for wearing a rainbow shirt
— Philip Lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) December 10, 2022
Wahl's wife Celine Gounder, a renowned epidemiologist and specialist in infectious diseases, tweeted: "I am in complete shock".
I am so grateful for the support of my husband @GrantWahl's football family and so many friends who helped tonight.
I am in complete shock.
— Celine Gounder, MD, ScM, FIDSA 🇺🇦 (@celinegounder) December 10, 2022
Wahl tweeted on Wednesday that he had celebrated his birthday that day. American journalists who knew Wahl said he was 49 years old. Earlier this week, Wahl said in his subscription newsletter that he went to a clinic at the Qatar media center, "and they said I probably have bronchitis."
He wrote, "Finally my body got the better of me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and a ton of work is all it can do to you... I can feel that pressure on my upper chest and a feeling of uneasiness." A new level has arrived."
With some antibiotics and "some heavy cough syrup," Wahl said he "felt a little better a few hours later. But still: never mind."
In 1996 Wahl joined Sports Illustrated, at the time the premiere American sports publication, to report on football. He remained at the magazine until 2020, joining CBS Sports a year later.
He had also launched a subscription email newsletter platform, and was posting on it during the World Cup.
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