US Sports Reporter Who Was Detained For Wearing LGBTQ, Shirt Dies From Heart Attack At W’Cup

A renowned American sports reporter who was detained at the opening match between the US and Wales teams in the Qatar world cup for wearing a shirt that supports LGBTQ has been reported dead.

Naija News reports that the wife of the 48-year-old sports reporter identified as Grant Wahl said he collapsed while covering the quarter-finals in Doha on Friday.

According to NPR, Wahl collapsed in the press tribune on Friday’s Argentina-Netherlands match was winding down.

The Wall Street Journal disclosed that Wahl, who paramedics performed CPR on at the scene before taking him away on a stretcher apparently suffered a heart attack.

US Soccer in a statement said “Grant made soccer his life’s work, and we are devastated that he and his brilliant writing will no longer be with us.

“Entire US Soccer family is heartbroken.”

It would be recalled that Wahl made headlines at the start of the world cup when he was detained in Qatar on November 21 by security staff after he wore a rainbow shirt to the opening match between the US and Wales teams, showing support for LGBTQ rights in a country where same-sex relations are outlawed.

Naija News gathered that Wahl was reported to have said in his subscription newsletter earlier the week that he’d visited a clinic at the media centre in Qatar, “and they said I probably have bronchitis.”

“My body finally broke down on me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you… I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort,” he wrote.

With some antibiotics and “some heavy duty cough syrup” Wahl said he was “feeling a bit better just a few hours later. But still: No Bueno.”

Naija News learnt that reactions have seen trooped in since his death on Friday as his wife Celine Gounder, took to Twitter to write “I’m in complete shock.”

Also, State Department spokesman Ned Price tweeted, “We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Grant Wahl” and added that US authorities have been “in close communication” with his family.

“We are engaged with senior Qatari officials to see to it that his family’s wishes are fulfilled as expeditiously as possible.”

While, US Soccer said, “Fans of soccer and journalism of the highest quality knew we could count on Grant to deliver insightful and entertaining stories about our game, and its major protagonists: teams, players, coaches and that many personalities that make soccer, unlike any sport.”

This article was originally published on Naija News

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