Former international striker Rade Bogdanovic has issued an apology after making a racially offensive remark about black players while working as a television pundit during World Cup coverage.

The 56-year-old made the controversial comment while analysing Nathan Ngoy’s sending-off during the second half of Belgium’s 0-0 draw with Iran in Group G.

The Belgian centre-back brought down Mehdi Taremi after mishandling a backpass intended for Red Devils goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, which resulted in a straight red card.

Bogdanovic, who previously played for clubs such as Atletico Madrid and Werder Bremen, is currently serving as a pundit for Serbia’s national broadcaster RTS throughout the World Cup.

The former forward was analysing Belgium’s match against Iran, which began at 8 pm BST on Sunday, June 21, when he made the remark while discussing Ngoy’s 67th-minute dismissal.

Bogdanovic, who earned three caps for Yugoslavia in the late 1990s, 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 making mistakes.”

The programme’s host immediately challenged his comments, but Bogdanovic reiterated his claim, adding, “the majority lack concentration.”

His remarks triggered widespread backlash across social media, although RTS retained him for their coverage of Argentina’s match against Austria the following evening.

Both Bogdanovic and RTS later apologised, with the pundit stating in a message to Reuters: “I sincerely apologise for my statement regarding black football players.”

RTS clarified that the former striker — who was ranked 22nd on FourFourTwo’s list of the most expensive players of the 1990s — was not a full-time employee, but had been “engaged as an expert commentator for the duration of the tournament.”

The broadcaster added: “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.”

Throughout his career, Bogdanovic played for various clubs across several countries, including in Japan, South Korea, and Abu Dhabi.

Following his red card, Ngoy was suspended for Belgium’s final Group G fixture against New Zealand, which Rudi Garcia’s side won 5-1 to secure top spot and progress to the knockout rounds. He returned to the squad for the thrilling 3-2 extra-time victory over Senegal in the round of 32 but remained an unused substitute.