Football journalist Grant Wahl died in Qatar at the age of 48 while covering the World Cup two weeks after his arrest

SPORTSWRITER Grant Wahl has died suddenly aged 48 after being arrested in Qatar for wearing a rainbow shirt while covering the World Cup, his brother revealed.

Eric Wahl was emotional as he spoke about his brother, a respected football reporter who had covered the World Cup.

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Wahl was at the quarterfinals game between Argentina and the Netherlands when he went into what is known as cardiac arrest.

Wahl’s agent Tim Scanlan told the New York Times that Wahl was in the press box in the final minutes of the quarterfinals game when he felt acute distress.

Scanlan said he is believed to have died in a hospital or while being taken there after becoming unwell.

“He wasn’t sleeping well, and I asked him if he had tried melatonin or something like that,” Scanlan said. “He said, ‘I just need to relax a little.'”

Eric believed foul play was involved after he claimed his brother had received death threats for wearing a rainbow shirt in support of the LGBTQ+ community.

“I’m the reason he wore the rainbow jersey to the World Cup,” said Eric, who is gay.

“My brother was healthy. He told me he had received death threats. I don’t think my brother just died. I believe he was killed and I’m just asking for your help.”

On November 21, Grant Wahl said he was arrested entering the stadium because of his T-shirt and refused to take it off.

After 30 minutes, Wahl was allowed to cover the game and FIFA later apologized for the incident.

US Soccer deleted a statement On Wahl’s death: “The entire US football family is heartbroken to learn that we have lost Grant Wahl. Fans of football and journalism of the highest quality knew that we could always count on Grant to provide insightful and entertaining stories about our game and its key protagonists: teams, players, coaches and the many personalities that make football great .

“Here in the United States, Grant’s passion for football and commitment to raising his profile in our sporting landscape has played an important role in raising interest and respect for our beautiful game.

“Grant’s belief in the power of play to advance human rights has been and continues to be an inspiration to all. Grant has made football his life’s work and we are devastated that he and his brilliant lyrics will no longer be with us.”

Wahl’s wife Céline Gounder wrote on Twitter: “I am so grateful for the support of my husband @GrantWahl’s football family and so many friends who reached out tonight. I’m in total shock.”

Wahl was involved in both men’s and women’s soccer for nearly three decades before Major League Soccer was formed.

He covered the 1994 World Cup, which took place shortly after he graduated from Princeton, USA.

In 1996 he joined Sports Illustrated and began covering football and college basketball.

During that time, he wrote the magazine’s first cover story in 2002, about a high school basketball player from Akron, Ohio with a bright future. His name was LeBron James.

Wahl was also an advocate for women’s soccer and spent several years covering the United States women’s national team’s wage discrimination lawsuit against the national federation.

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