Former footballer Rade Bogdanovic has faced widespread condemnation after making racist remarks during live television coverage of a World Cup match. The 56-year-old pundit was working for Serbian national broadcaster RTS during Belgium's 0-0 draw with Iran on Sunday when he made the offensive comments.
Racist Remarks on Live TV
Bogdanovic targeted Belgium defender Nathan Ngoy, who was sent off in the 66th minute for a last-man challenge. Commenting on the incident, Bogdanovic said: "At this level, to be the last defender, to miss a ball that is standing still and then get sent off... I've always said these players, and I'm not racist, but black players don't have the concentration to last more than 60 to 80 minutes."
He added: "I played with them. Sometimes we had to protect our own players from making mistakes. Modern football doesn't allow this kind of error at World Cup level." When pressed by the presenter, he continued: "If we wanted to go into details, we could. They make mistakes too. Of course I'm not generalising, but the majority lack concentration and then situations like this happen."
Belgium's World Cup Struggles
The red card compounded a frustrating day for Belgium, who now face the possibility of first-round elimination after drawing 1-1 with Egypt and 0-0 with Iran in Group G. Ngoy, making only his sixth international appearance, was visibly devastated by the dismissal.
Bogdanovic's Praise for Iran
In contrast, Bogdanovic praised Iran's performance, saying: "Iran is already a winner, the age of the team, the experience, the conditions under which they play. I did not see that they were covered by the media, nor did the fans have the conditions to cheer for them. I would like from the bottom of my heart for them to beat Egypt and for Egypt to win tonight. I support them, you can see exactly the attitude towards the coat of arms."
Egypt later defeated New Zealand 3-1 to take top spot in Group G, with Mohamed Salah scoring the decisive second goal to secure Egypt's first World Cup victory in their fourth tournament appearance.
