A second journalist has died suddenly at the Qatar World Cup, 48 hours after a US reporter who made headlines for wearing an LGBT T-shirt died from a ‘heart attack’.
Khalid al-Misslam, a Qatari photojournalist working for Al Kass TV, died on Sunday, December 11. The circumstances surrounding his death are unclear at this stage.
Qatar news outlet Gulf Times tweeted: ‘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.’
The news was confirmed by Al Kass TV, who only briefly mentioned his passing away in a live broadcast and appear to be waiting on further details.
It comes just 48 hours after the death of American journalist Grant Wahl, who was stopped from entering stadiums for wearing a pro-LGBT top.
The prominent football journalist, 48, collapsed during extra time in the match between Argentina and the Netherlands in Doha on Friday night.
Paramedics performed CPR and used an automatic chest compressor to try and revive him for 20 minutes.
Wahl was rushed to a nearby hospital in an ambulance, where he was pronounced dead from what is reported to have been a heart attack.
Shortly after his passing, Wahl’s brother, Erik, who is gay, alleged his brother was murdered because of his constant criticisms of the Qatari regime.
In a video posted on Instagram, which has now been deleted, Eric Wahl said: ‘My name is Eric Wahl. I live in Seattle, Washington. I am Grant Wahl’s brother. I’m gay.
‘I’m the reason he wore the rainbow shirt to the World Cup. My brother was healthy.
‘He told me he received death threats. I do not believe my brother just died. I believe he was killed. And I just beg for any help.’
He added that his brother’s body will be repatriated to the United States on Monday and said that his family would not release a cause of death until an autopsy has been performed in the US.
Grant Wahl had just come back from taking some time off work after his body ‘broke down’ due to little sleep, high stress and lots of work.
He was covering his eighth world cup and had previously made headlines for being refused entry to a game for wearing a rainbow shirt.
