Journalist Wahl’s body returned to U.S.
The body and possessions of soccer journalist Grant Wahl were repatriated to the United States on Monday after his death last week while covering the World Cup in Qatar, a senior State Department official said.
The official said Wahl’s remains and his belongings arrived at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport around 8:30 a.m. They were accompanied by a consular official from the U.S. Embassy in Doha who had had custody of Wahl’s remains since shortly after he collapsed during Friday’s match between Argentina and the Netherlands and later died.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of privacy concerns, had no additional details but said the embassy in Qatar had been working with Wahl’s family to ensure the repatriation went smoothly.
Wahl, an American journalist who helped grow the popularity of soccer in the United States and reported on some of the biggest stories in the sport, was 49.
Tributes to Wahl have poured in since his death and on Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken added his voice to the chorus of appreciation.
“I so appreciated Grant Wahl, whose writing captured not only the essence of the beautiful game but also the world around it,” Blinken wrote on Twitter about an hour after the repatriation was complete.
Wahl, who had complained of respiratory problems earlier in the week and had been treated for a possible case of bronchitis, fell back in his seat in a section of Lusail Stadium reserved for journalists during extra time of the game, and reporters adjacent to him called for assistance. The World Cup organizing committee said he was taken to Doha’s Hamad General Hospital, but it did not state a cause of death.
PELÉ IMPROVING
Pelé is doing better after having been hospitalized to treat a respiratory infection aggravated by COVID-19, doctors at the Albert Einstein hospital said Monday.
He is “conscious and has stable vital signs,” a statement from the hospital said.
Pelé, the only player to win three World Cups, is also undergoing chemotherapy.
PERIŠIĆS AIM TO SEIZE BIG MOMENT
The late run. The timing. The delivery. Leo Perišić has certainly learned a thing or two from his father.
While Ivan Perišić has been his usual consistent self at the World Cup to help Croatia reach the semifinals, the winger’s young son has provided one of the more touching moments of the tournament.
After Croatia beat Brazil in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals, Leo somehow got on the field and sprinted toward the center circle, where Neymar was being consoled by Dani Alves.
The kid, wearing a Croatia jersey with his father’s No. 4 on the back, was initially told to hang back by a Brazilian member of staff. He waited and waited, then reached out a hand toward Neymar. The Brazil superstar spotted him and ended up embracing him.
Now it’s time for his father to seize his moment at the World Cup — and he’s no stranger to that. Because just like teammate Luka Modric, Perišić keeps on proving he is the man for the big occasion for Croatia. He will attempt to do so against Argentina in the semifinals on Tuesday.
“I said a lot of times, it is not so much about the goals or the records for me,” he said. “It is just important that the national team, or your club team, is winning. If I do a couple of goals or assists, it is a plus. I do what I am asked to do.”
U.S. TEAM NEARLY SENT REYNA HOME
American midfielder Gio Reyna almost was sent home from the World Cup because of a lack of hustle in training, for which he later apologized.
U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter revealed the team’s concerns about a player when he spoke last week at the HOW Institute for Society’s Summit on Moral Leadership in New York.
“In this last World Cup, we had a player that was clearly not meeting expectations on and off the field,” Berhalter was quoted as saying. “One of 26 players, so it stood out. As a staff, we sat together for hours deliberating what we were going to do with this player. We were ready to book a plane ticket home, that’s how extreme it was.
“And what it came down to was, we’re going to have one more conversation with him, and part of the conversation was how we’re going to behave from here out. There aren’t going to be any more infractions.”
While Berhalter didn’t identify the player, several media outlets reported Sunday it was Reyna, and a person familiar with the matter confirmed the identity to The Associated Press.