Serbian TV pundit causes outrage with racist comment during Belgium game

The former Yugoslavia and Atlético Madrid striker Rade Bogdanovic has sparked controversy on Serbian TV after saying that “Black players lack concentration beyond 60 to 80 minutes” during the Belgium v Iran World Cup match.

Bogdanovic, 56, made the comment on a World Cup programme aired by Serbia’s public broadcaster (RTS) late on Sunday night while discussing the 66th-minute red card shown to the Belgium defender Nathan Ngoy.

“I have always said those players – and I’m really not racist – but Black players lack the concentration to last more than 60 to 80 minutes,” Bogdanovic said. “When we played, we sometimes had to protect our own players to stop them making mistakes,” he added.

The host challenged Bogdanovic over the remark, but the former international forward doubled down, insisting that “the majority lack concentration”.

His comments drew widespread attention and condemnation on social media but, a day later, RTS had him back in the studio as an analyst for the Argentina v Austria match.

In a statement to Reuters, Bogdanovic said: “I sincerely apologise for my statement regarding Black football players.”

RTS also issued an official apology, saying Bogdanovic is not employed by the company but has been working as an “expert commentator” for this summer’s tournament. “We would like to take this opportunity to apologise, as a broadcaster, for the statement made in our programme concerning members of a particular race,” RTS said.

Bogdanovic began his career in his home town of Sarajevo, now the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, for Zeljeznicar, before moving to South Korea and then Japan. He later returned to Europe, briefly playing for Atlético and later joining Werder Bremen, in Germany. He made three appearances for Yugoslavia in 1997.

Belgium and Iran drew 0-0 in their Group G match in Los Angeles, leaving Iran second and Belgium third as both sides battle to reach the next phase.