Grant Wahl

[mrstepp817]

Noted soccer writer Grant Wahl passed away in Qatar today.....very sad and very suspicious IMO considering the circumstances and him being outspoken about many things in Qatar

[mrstepp817]

 

[VinceA]

I'm heartbroken. He was my first real intro into soccer reporting when I got into this sport and his work with SI is legendary. Rest in Power Grant.

[jonovision]

Wahl didn't pull any punches in his coverage in and of Qatar. A natural explanation is possible, but his brother's suspicions are likely correct. I just don't see how this gets resolved in any real way.

[mrstepp817]

2 minutes ago, jonovision said:

Wahl didn't pull any punches in his coverage in and of Qatar. A natural explanation is possible, but his brother's suspicions are likely correct. I just don't see how this gets resolved in any real way.

Agree....unless there are US Govt officials with his body right away I'm not sure whats going to happen if his body is with Qatari officials

[youllneverwalkalone]

Sickening. 💔

[Shway]

When keeping it real goes wrong. Sadly.

As a field reporter with a political message in a foreign country that you want the world to know about, you can’t be a lone wolf.

Super sad, but also not surprised. 
RIP.

Grant and Ives was the guys who made me understand MLS & American soccer.

[Kent]

Some details starting to emerge. According to this article he died during extra time of the Argentina Netherlands game in the stadium with other reporters. He had not been sleeping well for weeks and was sick with probably bronchitis. Doesn't seem like the kind of thing that should make someone drop dead, but in terms of foul play possibilities it would also be pretty brazen if he was, let's say poisoned during the game. But it's still pretty suspicious.

https://www.cp24.com/world/soccer-writer-grant-wahl-dies-at-world-cup-match-in-qatar-1.6189223

[Dominic94]

I have a hard time believing he wasn’t poisoned. Man made SI. May hé rest in peace 

[SpursFlu]

I dont know, anything is possible. A lot of people are suddenly dying of the flu right now and he had complained for a week about having a bad flu. It's almost as if people's bodies can no longer sustain the common cold or flu. Just a fact folks. Something is up but yah he also might have been killed 

I had read that a lot people have been getting sick there due to the unique air conditioning systems in the stadiums 

Edited December 10, 2022 by SpursFlu

[doopy]

sad. read one of his books... i enjoyed his soccer content over the years.

[SoccMan]

What the hell just wow I can’t believe this , one of the most popular soccer writers in North America . Incredibly sad news .

[SoCalTransport]

1 hour ago, SpursFlu said:

I dont know, anything is possible. A lot of people are suddenly dying of the flu right now and he had complained for a week about having a bad flu. It's almost as if people's bodies can no longer sustain the common cold or flu. Just a fact folks. Something is up but yah he also might have been killed 

I had read that a lot people have been getting sick there due to the unique air conditioning systems in the stadiums 

Very Sad. 💔

It's not like sudden death is unusual in the world at the moment. 💉. The situation does seem very suspicious.

About the air conditioning. I wonder if there has been other reports of sudden deaths in Qatar.

 

[DoyleG]

2 hours ago, SpursFlu said:

I dont know, anything is possible. A lot of people are suddenly dying of the flu right now and he had complained for a week about having a bad flu. It's almost as if people's bodies can no longer sustain the common cold or flu. Just a fact folks. Something is up but yah he also might have been killed 

I had read that a lot people have been getting sick there due to the unique air conditioning systems in the stadiums 

This is why I don't get on the conspiracy bandwagon like a lot of others do.

[JamboAl]

Really sad news.  Grant Wahl was class and a leader in soccer journalism not only in the US but the world.  RIP.

As for the AC, I will personally attest that my apartment, and in particular, my bedroom felt wet all the time.  The “chilling unit” as they called it, did a great job cooling the apartment but it felt like a mist was everywhere.  In fact, my passport was damp sitting on the table and the pages had started to curl.  And almost everyone I know got sick at some point over there, was that due to the AC or just the huge crowds spreading germs around, don’t know.  But I still have a respiratory, hacking cough and I left Qatar a week ago.  
This is FYI, and not a commentary on what happened to Grant.

[BearcatSA]

2 hours ago, SoCalTransport said:

Very Sad. 💔

It's not like sudden death is unusual in the world at the moment. 💉. The situation does seem very suspicious.

About the air conditioning. I wonder if there has been other reports of sudden deaths in Qatar.

 

Just returned from Cancùn and it was very sad to hear of this.  Wahl was a good egg, RIP.

When I think of air conditioning, bronchitis, and sudden heart failure, it always reminds me of Legionnaire's disease from 1976.

Like you say, they'll be tracking other cases.

[red card]

He said in his podcast earlier this week that he had bronchitis. He has also said in the past that he powers through when he gets sick at tourneys. He also makes his living off Substack, so he was still churning out articles this week.

He wrote on Monday: My body finally broke down on me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you. What had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort. 

After his second visit to the media centre medical clinic, he was on antibiotics and heavy duty cough syrup. But he wrote: But still: No bueno.

He just did a podcast on Thursday where he said he finally cancelled everything on his agenda for 1 day. He felt slightly better but not at 100%. He said many journalists have a crazy cough in Doha - sounds like a death rattle sometimes. He was still going to 2 quarter final matches. Only thing surprising for him was not much covid around. He tested negative for Covid. His wife is also in the epidemiology field.

AP reports that US media seated beside him say he fell back in his seat during extra time in Lusail stadium in the press box. Emergency services workers responded very quickly, treated him for 20 or 30 minutes on the spot and then took him out on a stretcher, said Keir Radnedge, a veteran British sports journalist who was working nearby at the time. He died at Hamad Hospital. US Embassy tweeted that they were in touch with Qatari authorities “to see to it that his family’s wishes are fulfilled as expeditiously as possible.”

 

[narduch]

6 minutes ago, red card said:

He said in his podcast earlier this week that he had bronchitis. He has also said in the past that he powers through when he gets sick at tourneys. He also makes his living off Substack, so he was still churning out articles this week.

He wrote on Monday: My body finally broke down on me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you. What had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort. 

After his second visit to the media centre medical clinic, he was on antibiotics and heavy duty cough syrup. But he wrote: But still: No bueno.

He just did a podcast on Thursday where he said he finally cancelled everything on his agenda for 1 day. He felt slightly better but not at 100%. He said many journalists have a crazy cough in Doha - sounds like a death rattle sometimes. He was still going to 2 quarter final matches. Only thing surprising for him was not much covid around. He tested negative for Covid. His wife is also in the epidemiology field.

AP reports that US media seated beside him say he fell back in his seat during extra time in Lusail stadium in the press box. Emergency services workers responded very quickly, treated him for 20 or 30 minutes on the spot and then took him out on a stretcher, said Keir Radnedge, a veteran British sports journalist who was working nearby at the time. He died at Hamad Hospital. US Embassy tweeted that they were in touch with Qatari authorities “to see to it that his family’s wishes are fulfilled as expeditiously as possible.”

 

Sounds more like it's covid/pandemic related than any nefarious plot

[ensco]

6 hours ago, JamboAl said:

Really sad news.  Grant Wahl was class and a leader in soccer journalism not only in the US but the world.  RIP.

As for the AC, I will personally attest that my apartment, and in particular, my bedroom felt wet all the time.  The “chilling unit” as they called it, did a great job cooling the apartment but it felt like a mist was everywhere.  In fact, my passport was damp sitting on the table and the pages had started to curl.  And almost everyone I know got sick at some point over there, was that due to the AC or just the huge crowds spreading germs around, don’t know.  But I still have a respiratory, hacking cough and I left Qatar a week ago.  
This is FYI, and not a commentary on what happened to Grant.

I didn’t have a problem with AC where I stayed. A couple of the stadiums, though, were freezing.

My two cents, I have to say that I suffered a bit from exhaustion over there. (Exhilaration too, don't get me wrong.) 

It was kind of grueling. I went to 12 games in 8 days. Walked 19,000 steps a day on average. Didn’t exactly eat on a schedule. Most days I did a 10pm game, when you do that you don’t get back to your room until 2am, so you don’t get to bed until 2.30am or later. Plus he was working. Because of security cordons etc you needed to be in motion by 10.30am for a 1pm game the next day…

Everybody there was living a crazy schedule, by choice of course. It was a constant topic of conversation- it was nuts, but worth it. Not that I heard of anyone getting really sick. But it wouldn’t be good if you were sick and trying to keep that pace up.

An autopsy would be a good idea.

Edited December 10, 2022 by ensco

[Metro]

18 minutes ago, narduch said:

Sounds more like it's covid/pandemic related than any nefarious plot

I think this is it. Or some pre-existing condition that was exacerbated with the flu/bronchitis.

Grant was the one American reporter whose articles I always read whenever I came across them. His book on Beckham and the Galaxy is among my favourite soccer books. RIP Grant 🙁

[narduch]

2 minutes ago, Metro said:

I think this is it. Or some pre-existing condition that was exacerbated with the flu/bronchitis.

Grant was the one American reporter whose articles I always read whenever I came across them. His book on Beckham and the Galaxy is among my favourite soccer books. RIP Grant 🙁

Apparently he had bronchitis in August too.

He will be missed. One of my favs for sure. RIP

[Free kick]

1 hour ago, Metro said:

I think this is it. Or some pre-existing condition that was exacerbated with the flu/bronchitis.

Grant was the one American reporter whose articles I always read whenever I came across them. His book on Beckham and the Galaxy is among my favourite soccer books. RIP Grant 🙁

The Beckham Experiment.  I read it, It was great. still got it on my shelf.   

I also subscribed for a while to his podcast.  That was because: for news regarding the preparation for the 2026 WC, he had the best information out there.  He had sources and had info you can trust.  

Edited December 10, 2022 by Free kick

[Free kick]

49 minutes ago, ensco said:

I didn’t have a problem with AC where I stayed. A couple of the stadiums, though, were freezing.

 

Yes!  That was freaking crazy!    Education city stadium had vents underneath each seat and you could feel the cold air blowing on you throughout the game.  The game i saw there was a 4PM start and not a game involving Canada, it was tough to stay for the full 90 mins, it was that bad.     It was blood cold, even for a Canadian.   

Edited December 10, 2022 by Free kick

[Free kick]

2 hours ago, ensco said:

My two cents, I have to say that I suffered a bit from exhaustion over there. (Exhilaration too, don't get me wrong.) 

It was kind of grueling. I went to 12 games in 8 days. Walked 19,000 steps a day on average. Didn’t exactly eat on a schedule. Most days I did a 10pm game, when you do that you don’t get back to your room until 2am, so you don’t get to bed until 2.30am or later. Plus he was working. Because of security cordons etc you needed to be in motion by 10.30am for a 1pm game the next day…

Everybody there was living a crazy schedule, by choice of course. It was a constant topic of conversation- it was nuts, but worth it. Not that I heard of anyone getting really sick. But it wouldn’t be good if you were sick and trying to keep that pace up.
 

I can echo this 100%.  I was only there for a week only and only managed to get tickets to three games (the two Canada games plus another). I initially thought that this was too little, but when I got there and saw all the walking you had to do, I thought that three game for the 6-7 days, was actually the perfect amount.  Glad that I wasn't able to get more.  It is exhausting, its very hot in the daytime, you are not eating well because of the cultural adaptation, time difference, and trying to adapt to a different routine as far diet and diet options.   I didnt get sick while I was there but I was often tired and walking at a slower pace than I normally walk.    

Edited December 10, 2022 by Free kick

[SpursFlu]

1 hour ago, ensco said:

I didn’t have a problem with AC where I stayed. A couple of the stadiums, though, were freezing.

My two cents, I have to say that I suffered a bit from exhaustion over there. (Exhilaration too, don't get me wrong.) 

It was kind of grueling. I went to 12 games in 8 days. Walked 19,000 steps a day on average. Didn’t exactly eat on a schedule. Most days I did a 10pm game, when you do that you don’t get back to your room until 2am, so you don’t get to bed until 2.30am or later. Plus he was working. Because of security cordons etc you needed to be in motion by 10.30am for a 1pm game the next day…

Everybody there was living a crazy schedule, by choice of course. It was a constant topic of conversation- it was nuts, but worth it. Not that I heard of anyone getting really sick. But it wouldn’t be good if you were sick and trying to keep that pace up.

An autopsy would be a good idea.

Not where people were staying but in the actual stadiums. Apparently the climate control makes for sudden drops in the temperatur and I heard a lot of the players were complaining about it and catching colds