Was Grant Wahl MURDERED? Brother cries foul after sudden death of US journo covering World Cup in Qatar
LUSAIL, QATAR: US soccer journalist Grant Wahl, 48, who was recently detained for wearing a rainbow shirt while covering the World Cup, died en route to hospital after suffering an apparent heart attack at Lusail Stadium, where he was covering FIFA World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and Netherlands on December 10. This was his eighth World Cup. However, his brother, Eric Wahl, has alleged that it was murder.
He wrote in a video posted on Instagram, which stands deleted, "My name is Eric Wahl. I live in Seattle, Washington. I am Grant Wahl’s brother. I’m gay. I’m the reason he wore the rainbow shirt to the World Cup. My brother was healthy. He told me he received death threats. I do not believe my brother just died. I believe he was killed. And I just beg for any help," the New York Post reported.
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He continued to write, "We're still trying to find out. He collapsed at the stadium, was given CPR, was taken by Uber to hospital and died according to [wife, Dr Céline Gounder. We just spoke with the state department and Celine has spoken to Ron Klain and the White House."
Was Grant Wahl murdered?
While Eric believes his brother may have been killed because of his journalist sibling's controversial presence, Wahl wrote on Monday, December 5, on his website that he had visited a medical clinic while in Qatar. “My body finally broke down on me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you,” Wahl wrote. “What had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort.” Wahl mentioned that he was seeking treatment for his symptoms and that Covid-19 had been ruled out.
Who was Grant Wahl?
Wahl covered his first World Cup in 1994 and joined Sports Illustrated in 1996. He worked there until he got fired in 2020 after criticizing CEO James Heckman. He later moved to Substack, where his first cover story was on LeBron James. Wahl on Wednesday, December 7, tweeted that he had celebrated his birthday that day. People who knew Wahl said he was 49.
His previous stints include Fox Sports and NBC Sports. Wahl also served as a producer on the Amazon Prime Video docuseries, 'Good Rivals,' which debuted on December 1, reports The Hollywood Reporter. In his first book in 2009, 'The Beckham Experiment', Wahl wrote about David Beckham and his impact on Major League Soccer. It became a New York Times Best Seller, according to Wikipedia.
At the ongoing World Cup, Wahl wore a rainbow T-shirt in support of LGBTQ rights to the United States’ World Cup opener against Wales on November 21 and that act of his instantly went viral because a security guard refused him entry and told him to remove the shirt. Gay and lesbian sex is criminalized in Qatar.
