US football reporter Grant Wahl dies after collapsing at Qatar World Cup

WASHINGTON/DOHA: Widely-known US football journalist Grant Wahl died suddenly on Friday (Dec 9) after collapsing while covering a match at the World Cup in Qatar, his agent said.

US Soccer said it was "heartbroken to learn" of Wahl's death. His wife responded to the US Soccer statement on Twitter, saying she was "in complete shock".

Qatar's World Cup organisers, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), paid tribute to Wahl's "enormous love of football" and offered condolences to his family, friends and media colleagues.

Wahl, a former Sports Illustrated sportswriter who moved to the Substack online publishing platform, had been tweeting about the Netherlands-Argentina match earlier on Friday.

His agent, Tim Scanlan, told Reuters that Wahl had "appeared to suffer some kind of acute distress in the start of extra time" at the quarter-final match.

Scanlan said attempts were made to revive Wahl in the press box before he was taken to a local hospital, where he was confirmed dead.

"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," the SC spokesperson said.

Qatar's international media office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

"Everyone's emotional and it's really traumatic," Scanlan said. "He was a true advocate for both the men's and women's games and really just cared deeply about the sport. He was empathetic and just truly a brilliant writer."

Gianni Infantino, president of world football governing body FIFA, offered condolences, saying in a statement that Wahl's "love for football was immense and his reporting will be missed by all who follow the global game".

Wahl said in late November he was