A World Cup TV pundit has sparked outrage after making racist comments about black players live on air then doubling down when challenged over them
A World Cup TV pundit has faced fierce criticism after making disgraceful racist remarks during a group stage fixture.
Former footballer Rade Bogdanović was serving as a pundit on Serbian TV for Belgium's clash against Iran on Sunday when he voiced racist opinions. Belgium were frustrated to a lacklustre 0-0 stalemate by Iran in their second Group G encounter in Los Angeles .
The talent-laden Belgian squad now confront the possibility of crashing out at the first hurdle, having also been held by Egypt. Their prospects of securing the vital victory were damaged when defender Nathan Ngoy received his marching orders in the 66th minute for a professional foul .
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The 23-year-old was collecting just his sixth international cap and was devastated to see red. Following the final whistle, audiences watching the match on Serbian state broadcaster RTS were exposed to the reprehensible views of Bogdanović.
"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," Bogdanović said, reports the Mirror .
"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."
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After being challenged by the presenter, the 56-year-old added: "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."
The former striker was far more complimentary about Iran, who secured their second consecutive point after their 2-2 stalemate with New Zealand.
"Iran is already a winner, the age of the team, the experience, the conditions under which they play," Bogdanović said. "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 fought back to defeat New Zealand 3-1 and climb to the summit of Group G. Mohamed Salah struck the vital second goal to secure their maiden World Cup triumph in their fourth tournament appearance.