“I’m Grant Wahl’s brother, I’m gay and I’m the reason he wore the rainbow shirt to the World Cup,” Eric said in a tearful video.
“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 Celine,” he wrote in a comment on Instagram. “We just spoke with the state department and Celine has spoken to Ron Klain and the White House.”
On Twitter, Eric speculated that his brother’s unexpected death may have been related to recent threats he had received after reporting on human rights abuses in Qatar.
“I spoke with Grant just the other day for his birthday,” he tweeted. “He thought he’d caught bronchitis. I no longer believe that’s what it was. Grant told me he’d received death threats. His phone better be among his things at Hamad hospital.”
At the time of publication, the exact cause of Wahl’s death is unclear. On December 5, he wrote in his newsletter that he had been sick for 10 days with what he said had been diagnosed as bronchitis and felt like his “body finally broke down” following several demanding weeks of work and little sleep.
“He fell ill last night in the Lusail Statium media tribune, during last night’s quarter-final match between Argentina v Netherlands,” read a statement from Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy that was emailed to Insider. “He received immediate medical attention on site, which continued as he was transferred by ambulance to Hamad General Hospital.”
Wahl’s wife, Dr. Cline Gounder, tweeted that she was in complete shock, in response to the news. She did not immediately return Insider’s request for comment.
“I am so thankful for the support of my husband Grant Wahl’s soccer family & of so many friends who’ve reached out tonight,” Gounder tweeted on Friday. I’m in complete shock.
The US Soccer Federation confirmed his death and expressed condolences in a statement on Friday evening.
“Here in the United States, Grant’s passion for soccer and commitment to elevating its profile across our sporting landscape played a major role in helping to drive interest in and respect for our beautiful game,” US Soccer Federation’s statement read.
Wahl had been reporting on soccer since the early years of his career. In 1996 he joined Sports Illustrated, where he covered seven World Cups and 12 NCAA basketball tournaments, the Los Angeles Times reported, and went on to write three books about soccer. His first book, “The Beckham Experiment” — which detailed David Beckham’s transition to major league soccer playing for LA Galaxy — was a New York Times bestseller.
“As important, Grant’s belief in the power of the game to advance human rights was, and will remain, an inspiration to us all,” US Soccer Federation’s statement added.
Wahl’s most recent post for his soccer-themed newsletter, Ftbol with Grant Wahl, detailed a migrant worker’s death related to the construction of the resort where the World Cup is being held. He wrote that the Qatari Supreme Committee, in charge of organizing the event, “doesn’t care” about the worker’s death and was “apathetic” to the tragedy.
“We were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Grant Wahl and send our condolences to his family, with whom we have been in close communication,” Ned Price, the State Department spokesman, wrote on Twitter. “We are engaged with senior Qatari officials to see to it that his family’s wishes are fulfilled as expeditiously as possible.”
The State Department and White House did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for information. Representatives for FIFA did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for additional details.
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