U.S. journalist 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. A "posy of white lilies and a framed photograph of Wahl taken in Qatar was left at the media seat" that had been assigned to him. 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" (AP, 12/10).
Fox began its hour-long pregame show ahead of the start of the Morocco-Portugal quarterfinal match with an emotional Rob Stone saying, “We’re going to try and celebrate the Beautiful Game with heavy, heavy hearts. Yesterday, the American soccer community suffered an unspeakable loss.” Stone noted Wahl worked on Fox’ soccer telecasts for seven years and “helped raise the popularity of soccer in the United States to new heights" (Fox, 12/10).
MLS Commissioner Don Garber said Wahl "will be deeply missed." Garber: "We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken over the tragic passing of Grant Wahl. He was a kind and caring person whose passion for soccer and dedication to journalism were immeasurable." U.S. Soccer also issued a statement Friday that read, "The entire US soccer family is heartbroken to learn that we have lost Grant. Fans of soccer and journalism of the highest quality knew we could always count on Grant to deliver insightful and entertaining stories about our game and its major protagonist: teams, players, coaches and the many personalities that make soccer unlike any sport" (USA TODAY, 12/9).
