ESPN’s Grant Wahl reveals how he was shocked at the World Cup with his wife, Jonathon Gounder, who played soccer with the U.S. Soccer World Cup
The U.S. Soccer organization was mourning the death of one of its players. Grant’s passion for soccer and his dedication to elevating it’s profile helped drive attention to and respect for our beautiful game.
“I am so thankful for the support of my husband Grant Wahl’s soccer family and of so many friends who’ve reached out tonight. Gounder, who worked for CNN and was a member of the Biden-Harris transition Covid-19 advisory board, wrote that he was shocked.
He had just celebrated his birthday earlier this week with “a great group of media friends at the World Cup,” according to a post on his official Twitter account, which added: “Very thankful for everyone.”
It had gotten worse, the pressure in my chest and the tightness of my chest. Feeling pretty hairy, bad,” Wahl told co-host Chris Wittyngham in the episode. He went to the medical clinic of the World Cup media center because he thought he had bronchitis.
“This isn’t my first rodeo. He said that he had done eight on the men’s side. “And so like, I’ve gotten sick to some extent at every tournament, and it’s just about trying to find a way to like get your work done.”
He further described the incident in a recent newsletter published on December 5, writing that his body had “broke down” after he had little sleep, high stress and a heavy workload. He’d had a cold for 10 days, which “turned into something more severe,” he wrote, adding that he felt better after receiving antibiotics and catching up on sleep.
Football Player of the Year: Football Legend Grant James. FIFA and FIFA, Infantino, FIFA and the World Soccer Federation. A tragic loss of a football player
He said security staff had told him to change his shirt because “it’s not allowed,” and had taken his phone. Wahl said he was released 25 minutes after being detained and received apologies from a FIFA representative and a senior member of the security team at the stadium.
“Only some days ago, Grant was recognized by FIFA and AIPS (the International Sports Press Association) for his contribution to reporting on eight consecutive FIFA World Cups,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino in a statement.
No writer in the history of sports magazine has been more passionate about the sport than he was and he wanted to tell the stories he did.
He covered the sport for more than twenty years and authored several books about it, according to his website.
The statement said that Wahl also worked with other media outlets including Fox Sports. After leaving Sports Illustrated in 2020, he began publishing his podcast and newsletter.
“I’ve always kind of watched from a distance even when I moved up in ranks and became a professional, and he went to a different sport,” said James, speaking at a postgame press conference. “Any time his name would come up I’ll always think back to me as a teenager and having Grant in our building … It’s a tragic loss.”
Other current and former US soccer players, including Ali Krieger and Tony Meola, shared their condolences, as did sporting bodies such as Major League Soccer and the National Women’s Soccer League.
The Anatomy of a World Soccer Player in Qatar and the World Cup 2012 FIFA-Roundabout Same-Sex Arbitrary Rules
It has a very poor human rights record. And, since the tournament began last month, the Persian Gulf country’s rules prohibiting same-sex relations have been front and center. It’s illegal in Qatar and punishable by jailtime. When several European team captains said they would wear special rainbow armbands, FIFA clamped down and threatened the players with yellow cards.
Eric Wahl said his brother had received death threats while in Qatar because of the rainbow shirt and his continued reporting on FIFA and the Qatari government.
“As players we have a tremendous amount of respect for the work of journalists, & Grant’s was a giant voice in soccer that has tragically fallen silent,” Adams wrote on Twitter.
He was then transferred to Hamad General Hospital, said a spokesperson for the Supreme Court Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the body responsible for planning the tournament.
Keir Radnedge, a columnist at World Soccer Magazine, told CNN that Wahl was injured in the stadium for about 20-25 minutes before he was taken to the hospital.
“This was towards the end of extra time in the match. Suddenly, colleagues up to my left started shouting for medical assistance. Obviously, someone had collapsed. Because the chairs are freestanding, people were able to move the chairs, so it’s possible to create a little bit of space around him,” Radnedge said.