Prominent soccer journalist Grant Wahl, one of the primary critics of the Qatar World Cup, died Friday while covering the tournament on-site. His brother, who posted the news to his Instagram account, says he suspects foul play: “My brother was healthy. He told me he received death threats. I do not believe my brother just died, I believe he was killed.”
According to ESPN, Wahl collapsed in the media box during extra time of Friday’s Argentina-Netherlands match and never regained consciousness. The news of Wahl’s death — first announced by his brother and then confirmed by an NPR reporter and the U.S. Soccer Federation — comes within weeks of his being detained by security forces in Qatar for wearing a rainbow shirt to a USMNT match against Wales, a show of solidarity in a country where homosexuality is outlawed.
Of the media covering the World Cup on-site, Wahl had been one of most ardent critics. One of the final posts on his “Futbol with Grant Wahl” Substack highlighted the deaths of migrant workers during the tournament.
Wahl had been ill throughout the tournament, writing earlier this week that he had been suffering from a cold that “turned into something more severe.” Wahl on Monday, via ESPN: “I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort. … I went into the medical clinic at the main media center today, and they said I probably have bronchitis. They gave me a course of antibiotics and some heavy-duty cough syrup, and I’m already feeling a bit better just a few hours later.”
In the event that Wahl’s death was not of natural causes, it would seem to mark another significant escalation in the increasingly uncomfortable intersection of sports and international politics — coming one day after Russia released Brittney Griner from prison in exchange for an international arms dealer. The Qatar World Cup is just the latest major international sporting event hosted by a nation whose commitment to democratic values is questionable, if not entirely nonexistent, joining the Beijing Winter Olympics in February and the previous men’s World Cup in Russia four years ago.
The Qatar World Cup has been a subject of controversy since the nation was named host in 2010. The bid itself was shrouded in controversy, the decade-plus build up included numerous deaths of migrant workers building the stadium infrastructure, and the nation’s laws and cultural practices meant inviting players, fans and journalists the world over to a nation that criminalizes homosexuality, curtails women’s rights and limits free expression. That giving Qatar the tournament also meant pushing it out of season to the winter months only added to the list of complaints.
Considered an icon in American soccer circles, Wahl was the most prominent American soccer reporter, having covered the sport since his career first started at Sports Illustrated in 1996. He would end his SI career with more than three dozen cover stories, perhaps most famously penning the LeBron James “Chosen One” cover story in 2002. He covered soccer for SI, FOX, and CBS during a career that saw him cover the World Cup eight times. In 2011, he ran for FIFA president in an attempt to unseat Sepp Blatter. His time at SI ended two years ago when he was fired for criticizing the publication’s handling of pay cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wahl biographical information contributed by Adam Gostomelsky.
