The sudden death of journalist Grant Wahl continues to hang over the World Cup.
Wahl, who was perhaps the best-known soccer writer in the United States, was mourned Saturday before England and France faced off in the quarterfinals in Qatar.
A picture of Wahl was shown on a jumbotron at Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday.
FIFA officials reportedly placed flowers and a photo of Wahl at the seat he would have occupied to cover the match.
Wahl, 49, died Friday after collapsing at Lusail Iconic Stadium while covering the World Cup match between Argentina and the Netherlands. According to reports, Wahl fell back in his seat, received emergency medical treatment on site and was taken to a hospital. It’s unclear whether he died at the hospital or in transport.
Wahl revealed a day prior that he had visited the medical clinic and believed he was fighting bronchitis. Eric Wahl said he believed his brother was killed.
Grant Wahl had worn a shirt with a soccer ball surrounded by a rainbow before the U.S. played Wales in support of the LGBTQ+ community and was initially not allowed into the stadium. On his substack, Wahl had been critical of Qatar, including a Thursday post in which he wrote: “They just don’t care. Qatari World Cup organizers don’t even hide their apathy over migrant worker deaths, including the most recent one.”