Around the same time that U.S. sports reporter Grant Wahl passed away while covering the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar last week, another journalist covering the international sporting event also died suddenly, said a report in the Doha-based Gulf-Times.
According to the Jerusalem Post, photojournalist Khalid al-Misslam of Al Kass TV died “under suspicious circumstances.”
As of Monday, foul play was not suspected in al-Missalm’s death, said the outlet. It was unclear whether an investigation had been opened regarding the 43-year-old journalist’s death, the Post added.
“We believe in Allah’s mercy and forgiveness for him, and send our deepest condolences to his family,” said the Gulf-Times of al-Missalm’s passing.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed Monday that Wahl, a 49-year-old sports journalist, had died in Qatar. According to reports, Wahl died Friday,
“I so appreciated Grant Wahl, whose writing captured not only the essence of the beautiful game but also the world around it,” said Blinken. “I send my deepest condolences to his family, and thank our Embassy team and Qatari partners who worked together so effectively to fulfill their wishes.”
“We were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Grant Wahl and send our condolences to his family, with whom we have been in close communication,” said U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price. “We are engaged with senior Qatari officials to see to it that his family’s wishes are fulfilled as expeditiously as possible.”
Wahl covered soccer for more than 25 years at various outlets, including Sports Illustrated, according to his blog.
While in Qatar, he posted a story about being detained by security guards at a stadium for wearing a shirt with a rainbow soccer ball in support of LGBTQ+ communities.
“The security guards refused to let me in, detained me for 25 minutes and angrily demanded that I remove my T-shirt,” Wahl said.
He also reported on a Filipino migrant worker at Saudi Arabia’s training resort during the group stage who died from a fatal blow to the head resulting from a forklift incident.
“We know the Qatari Supreme Committee doesn’t care because its CEO, Nasser Al-Khater, told you all you needed to hear in an interview with the BBC that was breathtaking in its crassness,” said Wahl.
“We’re in the middle of a World Cup, and we have a successful World Cup. And this is something that you want to talk about right now?” said Al-Khater, according to Wahl’s blog. “I mean, death is a natural part of life, whether it’s at work, whether it’s in your sleep. Of course, a worker died. Our condolences go to his family.”
CNN reported Tuesday that Wahl’s body had been had been returned to the U.S. and an autopsy is expected. His family was expected to make a statement about Wahl’s passing Tuesday said the outlet.
Per a statement by Price cited by CNN, Wahl’s remains were repatriated Monday and were in possession of the New York City medical examiner.
Price said there is “no indication of foul play or anything nefarious at this point,” CNN said.
“We did receive excellent cooperation from our Qatari partners as soon as we learned of Grant Wahl’s passing,” said Price. “Our ambassador … was in regular contact with senior officials in the Qatari government in an effort to see to it that we were in a position to fulfill the wishes of the family as expeditiously as possible.”
Wahl collapsed while covering a match between Argentina and the Netherlands. Qatar’s World Cup organizers said Saturday that Wahl “fell ill” in the press area and received immediate medical attention. From the match, 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, according to CNN.
Prior to the match, he publicly discussed feeling ill Dec. 6 on his podcast, Futbol with Grant Wahl, and in a newsletter published the previous day.
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