Second journalist dies while covering FIFA World Cup

Agencies | Doha

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

A second journalist has died while covering the FIFA World Cup in Doha.

Qatari photojournalist Khalid Al-Misslam died ‘suddenly’ over the weekend, Fox Sports website reported, quoting the Doha-based news outlet Gulf Times.

“Al-Misslam, a Qatari, died suddenly while covering the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. We believe in Allah’s mercy and forgiveness for him, and send our deepest condolences to his family,” Gulf Times said.

The circumstances around the death of Al-Misslam, who was working for Qatari news channel Al-Kass TV, are unclear as mention of his passing was only briefly mentioned during the channel’s live broadcast.

The Qatari journalist’s death comes after the demise of US journalist Grant Wahl, who died while covering the Netherlands-Argentina match.

Wahl, a former Sports Illustrated sportswriter who moved to the Substack online publishing platform, collapsed at Lusail Iconic Stadium and was rushed to a nearby hospital before his death.

Wahl’s brother Eric, who is from the LGBTQ community, has raised suspicion that the journalist did not die but may have been killed.

“I am the reason he wore the rainbow shirt to the world cup. I do not believe my brother just died, I believe he was killed,” Eric was quoted by Daily Mail as saying.

Wahl said he was briefly detained in November when he tried to enter a World Cup stadium while wearing a rainbow shirt in support of the LGBTQ community.

World Cup security also asked him to take his shirt off, of which he refused, to be granted entry into Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al-Rayyan for the United States’ opener against Wales.

He was later granted entry and a FIFA representative has apologized for the incident.