Football writer Grant Wahl dies suddenly at World Cup game in Qatar

'No writer in the history of Sports Illustrated has been more passionate about the sport he loved and the stories he wanted to tell'

Grant Wahl at work after the World Cup game between Wales and the US in Qatar. He had been detained earlier by stadium security for wearing a rainbow-colored t-shirt before later being allowed to enter the stadium. 

Grant Wahl, one of the best-known football writers in the United States, died late Friday while covering the World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and the Netherlands. He was 48.

American media seated near him said Wahl fell back in his seat in a section of Lusail Iconic Stadium reserved for journalists during extra time of the game, and reporters adjacent to him called for assistance. Emergency services workers responded very quickly, and the reporters later were told that Wahl had died.