Former Serbian footballer and Atlético Madrid striker Rade Bogdanovic has caused outrage after making a racist comment on Serbian public broadcaster RTS during a World Cup programme. While discussing the 66th-minute red card shown to Belgium defender Nathan Ngoy in the match against Iran, Bogdanovic stated: “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.” He added, “When we played, we sometimes had to protect our own players to stop them making mistakes.”
Host Challenges Bogdanovic
The programme host immediately challenged Bogdanovic over the remark, but the 56-year-old former international forward doubled down, insisting that “the majority lack concentration.” The comments drew widespread condemnation on social media. Despite the backlash, RTS had him back in the studio the following day as an analyst for the Argentina v Austria match.
Apologies Issued
In a statement to Reuters, Bogdanovic said: “I sincerely apologise for my statement regarding Black football players.” RTS also issued an official apology, noting that Bogdanovic is not employed by the company but has been working as an “expert commentator” for the 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's Career
Bogdanovic began his career in Sarajevo for Zeljeznicar, then played in South Korea and Japan before returning to Europe for brief stints at Atlético Madrid and Werder Bremen. He made three appearances for Yugoslavia in 1997. The Belgium-Iran match in Los Angeles ended 0-0, leaving Iran second and Belgium third in Group G.
