Grant Wahl, 48, had worked for the famous magazine Sports Illustrated as a football specialist before joining the CBS Sports channel in 2021.

He died while covering the quarter-final between Argentina and the Netherlands.

According to American radio NPR, he collapsed in the press box as the match drew to a close.

Medical personnel practiced first aid before carrying her away on a stretcher.

According to the American daily The Wall Street Journal, Wahl apparently succumbed to a heart attack.

Wahl was married to Dr. Celine Gounder, a noted infectious disease specialist who appeared on television several times during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"I'm completely in shock," she tweeted.

"Little sleep, a lot of stress"

State Department spokesman Ned Price tweeted shortly afterwards: "We are deeply saddened to learn of Grant Wahl's passing," adding that US authorities were "in close communication" with his family.

"We are in contact with senior Qatari officials to ensure that his family's wishes are granted as quickly as possible," Mr Price added.

The journalist had told subscribers to his internet newsletter a few days ago that he had gone to a clinic in the media center in Qatar "and they said I probably had bronchitis".

"My body is finally giving up on me. Three weeks with little sleep, lots of stress and work can have that effect on you... I could feel my upper chest bearing a new level of pressure and stress. 'discomfort,' he described.

He said taking antibiotics and "strong cough syrup" had "made him feel a little better after a few hours. But it's still: No bueno."

"Grant had made football his life's work and we are devastated that he and his brilliant pen are no longer with us," the Federation wrote in a statement, stressing that "the entire football family in the United States ( was) heartbroken" by his passing.

Wahl had been held up on November 21 by security personnel in Qatar because, he explained on Twitter, he wore a rainbow T-shirt to the match between the United States and Wales, to support LGBT+ rights.

Same-sex relations are criminalized in Qatar.

In 1996, he joined the editorial staff of Sports Illustrated – at the time the number one sports publication in the United States – to write about football.

He stayed there until 2020 and started working at CBS Sports the following year.

The announcement of his death sparked many reactions around the world.

"Fans of the highest quality football and journalism knew Grant could be counted on to deliver insightful and thrilling stories about the sport and its greatest protagonists: teams, players, coaches and all those people who make football a sport apart," noted US Soccer.

© 2022 AFP