Football Expert Rade Bogdanovic Apologizes for Racist Comments
June 23, 2026 · Global
Rade Bogdanovic, the former Atletico Madrid striker, has apologized for racist comments he made during a live World Cup broadcast, which sparked outrage on social media.
Rade Bogdanovic, the former Atletico Madrid and Werder Bremen striker, issued an apology for racist comments he made towards black players during a live World Cup broadcast on Serbian television. Bogdanovic was on duty as a commentator for state broadcaster RTS during the match between Belgium and Iran which ended in a goalless draw in Group G, when he made the remarks while discussing the red card received by Belgian defender Nathan Ngoy.
The 56 year old man, who appeared three times for Yugoslavia in 1997, questioned the focus and stamina of black players. These comments received widespread condemnation on social media. In a statement provided to Reuters, Bogdanovic said, "I truly apologize for my statements regarding black football players."
RTS also issued an official apology, stating that Bogdanovic was not an employee of the company, but had worked as an "expert commentator" for this summer's tournament. "We would like to take this opportunity to apologize as a broadcaster for statements made in our program regarding members of certain races," RTS said.
Nathan Ngoy, 23, was sent off on Sunday for a professional foul in the second half of the game in Los Angeles. After draws with Iran and Egypt, Belgium were in danger of failing to progress from Group G. Discussing the 66th-minute incident, Bogdanovic, who has also played in South Korea and Japan, commented: "I always say that these players - and I'm really not a racist - but black players lack the concentration to last more than 60 to 80 minutes. When we play, sometimes we have to protect our own players from making mistakes."
The presenter challenged Bogdanovic about the statement, but he insisted that "the majority lack concentration". On Monday, Bogdanovic returned to the RTS studio for Argentina's match against Austria which Argentina won 2-0 in Group J.