Rade Bogdanovic, a former striker for the Yugoslavia national team and Atlético Madrid, has ignited a firestorm of criticism following his remarks on Serbian television. During a World Cup discussion about the Belgium versus Iran match, he stated that “Black players lack concentration beyond 60 to 80 minutes”
The 56-year-old made the controversial statement on a program aired by Serbia’s public broadcaster (RTS) late Sunday night while analyzing a red card issued to Belgium’s Nathan Ngoy in the 66th minute.
“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 commented. He further elaborated, “When we played, we sometimes had to protect our own players to stop them making mistakes,” His comments were met with immediate backlash.
Despite facing criticism from the host of the program, Bogdanovic stood firm, asserting that “the majority lack concentration” His remarks quickly spread across social media, prompting widespread condemnation.
However, just a day later, Bogdanovic appeared again on RTS as an analyst for the Argentina versus Austria match, which raised eyebrows regarding the broadcaster’s response to the uproar.
In a statement, Bogdanovic expressed regret for his comments, saying.
“I sincerely apologise for my statement regarding Black football players.”
RTS also issued an apology, clarifying that Bogdanovic is not a full-time employee but has been serving as an expert commentator for the tournament this summer. The broadcaster stated, “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,”
Bogdanovic began his football career in Sarajevo with Zeljeznicar before playing in South Korea and Japan. He later returned to Europe, where he had brief stints with Atlético Madrid and Werder Bremen in Germany. In 1997, he made three appearances for the Yugoslav national team.
The match between Belgium and Iran ended in a 0-0 draw, positioning Iran second in Group G and leaving Belgium in third place as both teams vie for advancement in the tournament.
