US soccer journalist Grant Wahl dies at World Cup

LUSAIL, Qatar — Grant Wahl, an American journalist who helped grow the popularity of soccer in the U.S. and reported on some of the biggest stories in the sport, died Saturday while covering a World Cup match between Argentina and the Netherlands. “There was never any doubt that Grant was on the side of the good guys in wanting soccer to make the best of itself.” Wahl was covering his eighth World Cup. U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a tweet that American officials were in touch with Qatari authorities “to see to it that his family’s wishes are fulfilled as expeditiously as possible.” Wahl wore a rainbow T-shirt in support of LGBTQ rights to the United States’ World Cup opener against Wales on Nov. 21 and wrote that security refused him entry and told him to remove the shirt. It’s not allowed.” pic.twitter.com/TvSGThMYq8 — Subscribe to GrantWahl.com November 21, 2022 Grant Wahl said he was briefly detained for wearing a rainbow shirt while covering the World Cup in Qatar. Wahl wrote the 2009 book “The Beckham Experiment” after English soccer star David Beckham joined Major League Soccer’s LA Galaxy, and the 2018 book “Masters of Modern Soccer.” His death at the World Cup left fellow journalists covering the games stunned.