American soccer writer Grant Wahl was honored with a tribute from FIFA on the desk where he was due to work Saturday at the World Cup quarterfinal match between France and England.
“Tonight we pay tribute to Grant Wahl at his assigned seat in Al Bayt Stadium. He should have been here,” FIFA said in a statement.
“Our thoughts remain with his wife Céline, his family, and his friends at this most difficult time.”
/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F6be47dbd-842f-4890-b8b5-def78c579240)
About 20 minutes before the match started, the photograph of Wahl was displayed on big screens in two corners of the stadium. An announcement about his death was made to fans who applauded him.
Wahl fell ill while working during extra time of the Argentina-Netherlands game on Friday at Lusail Stadium.
Wahl fell back in his seat in a section of the venue reserved for journalists during extra time of the game, and reporters adjacent to him called for assistance.
Read Related Also: ‘Blood And Water’ Season 3 Teaser Debuts, Release Date Confirmed
Emergency services workers responded very quickly, treated him for 20 or 30 minutes on site and then took him out on a stretcher, said Keir Radnedge, a veteran British sports journalist who was working nearby at the time.
The World Cup organising committee said he was taken to Doha’s Hamad General Hospital, but it did not state a cause of death.
“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,” it said in a statement.
Wahl, who wrote for Sports Illustrated for more than two decades and then started his own website, was a major voice informing an American public of soccer during time of increased interest after the US hosted the 1994 World Cup.
He also brought a critical eye to the organisational bodies of the international sport.
