The popular American soccer journalist died while covering the World Cup quarter-finals match between Argentina and Netherlands at Lusail Stadium in Qatar. According to the available reports. Wahl collapsed during the game. He was immediately attended to by the paramedics but the 49-year-old was announced dead soon. The reason behind his sudden death is said to be a heart attack.
Grant Wahl worked as a correspondent for CBS Sports. He also used to write a substack column which was popular among his readers. The US Soccer Federation expressed its condolences on the passing of Wahl.
In a statement related to the news of his death, they stated that the entire US Soccer family was heartbroken to have learned about the sudden demise of Grant. They also added that the passion and commitment that Grand had for football has played a significant role in increasing the interest in football and its popularity in America.
The tragic incident took place during the extra time of the match. Being a reputed journalist, Grant was seated in the press box in the upper-most tier of the stadium. Upon his collapse, people who were around him immediately notified the medical response team and assisted Grant in the best way possible. The medical team arrived at the scene and did their best to revive Grant. After the match was concluded, Grant was taken away from the scene.
The news about the demise of Grant Wahl was confirmed by his wife Dr. Celine Gounder, through a post on Twitter. Celine works as an infectious disease epidemiologist. She has also served as a team member of the coronavirus task force managed by President Joe Biden.
In her Twitter post, she wrote that she thanked his friends and the people who worked with him at the Federation for their support and also said that she was still in shock from the news. According to a report from Wahl on Monday, he was not feeling well and he also visited a clinic in Qatar for treatment.
He wrote that the stress of the match, very little sleep, and a lot of work have made him physically exhausted and that his unwellness turned into something else on the match day between the USA and Netherlands. Sadly the USA did not win the match and was eliminated from the tournament.
Wahl encountered an incident in Qatar a few days earlier. He was arrested inside a stadium for wearing a t-shirt that featured a rainbow.
Grant Wahl is a pioneer in the field of American soccer journalism and his work has had a major impact in changing the approach of American society towards football. He and his work had been a major part of making the sport much more popular in the country.
Wahl was very passionate about football and the Qatar World Cup was his eighth one. In 1994, he covered his first World Cup. Wahl started his career at Sports Illustrated in 1996 and he went on to work there for more than twenty years.
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In a statement by Sports Illustrated, they mentioned that there had been no other writer in the history of Sports Illustrated who loved and was passionate about football as much as he did.
They also added that their heart goes out to his wife Celine and his family. They ended their statement by saying that Grant Wahl will always remain a member of the Sports Illustrated family.
Many other notable journalists and his colleagues have also expressed their condolences for the demised writer through social media platforms.
The popular sports journalist was born on December 8, 1974, in Mission, Kansas. After his high school education at Shawnee Mission East High School, Grant joined Princeton University and earned a bachelor’s degree in politics in the year 1996.
After his graduation, Wahl began his career at the Miami Herald as an intern. From there, Wahl joined Sports Illustrated. His works such as The Beckham Experiment which was published in 2009 and his cover story titled ‘Where is Daddy?’ earned him much critical attention.
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