American Soccer Journalist Dies While Covering World Cup Match

Veteran Who Covered 8 World Cups... Brothers Upload Video Saying "Received Death Threats"

On the 9th (local time) at Lusail Stadium in Qatar, American journalist Grant Wall passed away. Photo by Wall (captured from Wall's Instagram)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] A sudden death occurred in the press box at the stadium when an American journalist covering the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup quarterfinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands passed away.

The deceased journalist was Grant Wall (48), a well-known American soccer reporter. On the 9th at 10 PM (local time), while covering the Argentina-Netherlands match held at Lusail Stadium in Qatar, he collapsed in the press box. Fellow journalists seated near Wall reported, "During extra time, Wall suddenly collapsed and could not get back up." He received cardiopulmonary resuscitation for 20 minutes at the stadium and was then transported to a hospital but ultimately did not recover.

Grant revealed on his podcast released on the 8th that he was battling bronchitis and had visited the media medical center twice. He also posted on his social media, "I haven't been able to sleep properly for three weeks and am under severe stress." Foreign media reported that during the World Cup period, Wall wrote daily articles every other day while also recording podcasts, resulting in an average of only five hours of sleep per day.

Wall, who graduated from Princeton University in the United States in 1996, covered mainly college basketball and soccer for Sports Illustrated (SI) for 23 years. After leaving SI in 2020, he met readers through the paid subscription newsletter service 'Substack.' This was his eighth time covering the World Cup, demonstrating his long career and expertise.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino issued a statement expressing condolences, saying, "The deceased's love for soccer was immense. Everyone watching international matches will miss his articles." The United States Soccer Federation and the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), the organizing committee of the Qatar World Cup, also paid tribute to Wall's passion for soccer and extended their deepest condolences to his family, relatives, and colleagues.

However, his brother raised questions about Wall's sudden death. His brother, Eric Wall, introduced himself in a video posted on social media, saying, "I am Eric Wall, living in Seattle, Washington," and "I am Wall's brother and I am gay." He then said, "I am the reason Grant wears a rainbow shirt at the World Cup."

Early in the Qatar World Cup, Wall was stopped from entering the stadium wearing a rainbow T-shirt. He struggled with security personnel for 25 minutes over this issue and reportedly had his phone confiscated at the time. In the video, Eric Wall said, "My brother was healthy. He said he received death threats," and tearfully added, "I don't think my brother just died. Please help." This video has been widely shared and circulated on social media.