US football journalist Grant Wahl tragically passed away while reporting on the World Cup quarter-final fixture between the Netherlands and Argentina over the weekend.
He had been detained last month at the beginning of the tournament for wearing a shirt donning rainbow colours in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
Wahl had been barred from entry by security guards and recalled the ordeal online before removing his shirt so he could report on USA’s opening match.
His brother, Eric Wahl, is openly gay and says his brother’s protest was in support of him, while claiming he believes his brother ‘was killed’ for his stance.
In a heartbreaking video posted online, Eric confirmed the tragic news while stating he didn’t believe his brother’s death was accidental.
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He said in an Instagram video: “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.”
He continued: “He collapsed at the stadium, was given CPR, was taken by Uber to hospital and died according to Celine (Grant’s wife).
“We just spoke with the state department and Celine has spoken to Ron Klain and the White House.”
Grant amassed a tonne of respect across US sports for challenging injustices in the game and industry and attempting to advance human rights.
According to Rolling Stone reporter Nikki McCann Ramirez, Wahl was fired by Sports Illustrated for challenging their pay cuts, and he had also run to unseat FIFA’s president to challenger corruption and sexism in the organisation.
Wahl had also repeatedly criticised World Cup organisers for the deaths and mistreatment of migrant workers.
Following the recent death of a Filipino migrant, he wrote in an article: “They just don’t care. Qatari World Cup organisers don’t even hide their apathy over migrant worker deaths, including the most recent one.”
Wahl had revealed that he had been feeling under the weather in recent days and had been suffering from bronchitis and a lack of sleep.
However, he revealed in a podcast the day before his death that he was ‘feeling better’.
Eric Wahl later took to Twitter to reveal that he had gone to delete his video, which was posted while he was still in shock.
He said: “When I learned of Grant's death, my immediate thought was that he had been killed. This was based on things G said to me the last 2 times I spoke w him. But there's obviously no way I know anything certain.
“Our family will await word from American doctors, and we have faith that the US government people with whom we've been in contact are doing everything they can do to help us get answers.”
Qatar officials commented on the situation, telling SPORTbible: "We are deeply saddened by the death of the US journalist Grant Wahl.
"Grant was known for his enormous love of football and was in Qatar to cover his eighth FIFA World Cup.
"He fell ill in the Lusail Stadium media tribune, during last night’s quarter-final match between Argentina v Netherlands. He received immediate emergency medical treatment on site, which continued as he was transferred by ambulance to Hamad General Hospital.
"We offer our deepest condolences to Grant’s family, friends and his many close colleagues in the media.
"We are in touch with the US Embassy and relevant local authorities to ensure the process of repatriating the body is in accordance with the family’s wishes."
Topics: Football, Qatar, Football World Cup, US Sports
Jayden Collins