It is not advisable to underestimate your health. According to the AP, Grant Wahl wrote on social media on Monday that he visited a hospital in Qatar because he was not feeling well. “That’s what three weeks can do with minimal sleep, lots of stress and lots of work,” Wahl wrote at the time while also complaining of a cold. He was given antibiotics for bronchitis and tested negative for covid-19.
He suffered a heart attack during extra time in the press box at Lusail Stadium on Friday. The current football boss, Gianni Infantino, also expressed his condolences to his family on Saturday. The World Cup in Qatar was Wahl’s eighth championship.
Just an incredible set-piece goal from the Netherlands.
— Join GrantWahl.com (@GrantWahl) December 9, 2022
According to the testimony of the journalists present, Wahl collapsed during extra time, and the doctors tried to provide him with emergency aid right in the stands. However, he later died. Even before extra time, he described the 2: 2 draw of the Netherlands on a social network with the phrase: “An incredible goal after a standard situation”.
His commitment to the job proved fatal. “The cold of the last ten days turned into something more serious on the day of the USA-Netherlands match,” Wahl said on his website last weekend.
The exact cause of his death was not immediately known. “We thank Grant for his tremendous dedication and impact on our sport in the United States,” US Soccer responded, Wahl was among the best-known soccer reporters abroad.
At the start of the tournament in Qatar, Wahl wore a rainbow T-shirt in support of the LGBTI community before the US duel with Wales, and was then held up for 25 minutes at Al Rajan Stadium. He later reported that FIFA apologized to him for this.
Between 1996 and 2021 he worked for the prestigious American sports magazine Sports Illustrated. He has also worked with CBS and Fox Sports.
In a thrilling quarter-final with the Netherlands, Argentina came through on penalties.
