World Cup pundit faces backlash over racist remarks directed at Black player

Belgium defender Nathan Ngoy has been subjected to racist comments from former Atlético Madrid and Werder Bremen striker Rade Bogdanović following his 66th-minute red card against Iran in a Group G match played on Sunday in Los Angeles, which ended in a goalless draw.

Bogdanović was working as a commentator for Serbia’s state broadcaster RTS during the Belgium vs Iran match when he made the remarks while discussing Ngoy’s sending-off. He questioned the focus and stamina of Black players in general, rather than focusing on Ngoy as an individual. The comments sparked widespread backlash and condemnation on social media.

The 56-year-old, who made three appearances for Yugoslavia in 1997, has since apologised for the remarks.

“I sincerely apologise for my statement regarding Black football players,” Bogdanović said in a statement to Reuters.

RTS also issued an official apology, stating that Bogdanović is not employed by the broadcaster 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.

Ngoy, 23, was sent off on Sunday for a professional foul in the second half of the match in Los Angeles.

While discussing the 66th-minute incident, Bogdanović, who also played in South Korea and Japan, said:

“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.”

“When we played, we sometimes had to protect our own players to stop them from making mistakes.”

The host challenged him over the remarks, but he doubled down, insisting that “the majority lack concentration.”

On Monday, Bogdanović appeared again in the RTS studio during coverage of Argentina’s 2-0 win over Austria in Group J.