The FIFA World Cup 2022, which is being held in Qatar, has come under the scanner after the death of journalists under mysterious circumstances.
On Friday (December 9), a photojournalist named Khalid al-Misslam died ‘suddenly’ while covering the sporting event. He was associated with Alkass sports netowork.
In a tweet, Gulf News said, “Al Kass TV photojournalist Khalid al-Misslam passed away recently. 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.”
Al Kass TV photojournalist Khalid al-Misslam passed away recently.
— Gulf-Times (@GulfTimes_QATAR) December 10, 2022
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. pic.twitter.com/M1ZyoBJWkW
According to Fox Sports, the circumstances surrounding the death of Khalid al-Misslam are unclear. It informed that AlKass briefly mentioned his death during the live broadcast.
Death of Grant Wahl under mysterious circumstances
A day earlier on Saturday (December 10), American soccer journalist Grant Wahl died mysteriously while covering the Quarter Final match between Argentina and the Netherlands at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.
Reportedly, he collapsed during the extra time segment of the match and could not be revived. In his last substack newsletter on Friday (December 9), Grant Wahl slammed the Qatari World Cup organisers for their lack of empathy towards migrant labourers.
“They just don’t care. Qatari World Cup organizers don’t even hide their apathy over migrant worker deaths, including the most recent one,” he wrote. Grant’s brother Eric Wahl has alleged foul play in his death.
On November 21 this year, Grant Wahl was detained by security personnel for wearing a rainbow-coloured T-shirt to the Ahmad bin Ali stadium during the match between the United States and Wales.
He wore the T-shirt to express solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. Grant Wahl was initially stopped by a security guard and asked to remove his shirt. His phone was confiscated while he tried tweeting about the incident.
The journalist was detained for about 25 minutes during which he was told that his rainbow-coloured T-shirt was ‘political’ in nature. In a substack newsletter, he wrote, “…The entire episode left me wondering: What’s it like for ordinary Qataris who might wear a rainbow shirt when the world isn’t watching here? What’s that like?”
