The cause of death of American journalist Grant Wahl, who died while covering the Argentina-Netherlands game in Qatar, was revealed this Wednesday by his wife.
In a statement quoted by Reuters, Celine Gunder reports that “Grant died of a ruptured, undetected, slowly growing ascending aortic aneurysm with hemopericardium.”
“First of all, on behalf of myself and on behalf of our family, I want to express my deepest gratitude for the support, love and sympathy received from all over the world,” he wrote.
Val’s agent, Tim Scanlan, said that the journalist appeared to be suffering from “a kind of acute pain in the extra time of the quarter-final game.” According to Reuters, Scanlan also said attempts were made to resuscitate Val in the press box at Lusail Stadium before he was taken to a local hospital where death was confirmed.
The US Football Federation used Twitter to mourn Val’s death in a post that reads: “We are heartbroken to hear what happened.”
The organizers of the World Cup in Qatar and the “Superior Committee on Delivery and Legacy” (SC) also expressed their condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the American journalist.