Former K-League Star Rade Bogdanovic Apologizes for Racist Remarks

▲ Rade Bogdanovic (43), considered a legendary foreign player for the K-League's Pohang Steelers, poses for a commemorative photo at the Steel Yard, the team's home stadium, during his visit to Korea on May 26, 2013, after 17 years.

Rade Bogdanovic (56, Serbia), a former player in South Korea's K-League, has issued an apology after making racist remarks during his commentary for the 2026 North and Central America World Cup.

Reuters reported on June 23 (KST) that "former Serbian footballer Bogdanovic, who is working as a commentator for the Serbian public broadcaster RTS, has apologized for making racist comments during a live broadcast of the World Cup match between Belgium and Iran."

The controversial remarks were made during the Group G second match of the North and Central America World Cup between Belgium and Iran, held at the Los Angeles Stadium in California, USA, on June 22.

The comments followed the 66th minute of the second half, when Belgian defender Nathan Ngoy was sent off with a red card.

Bogdanovic stated, "I have always spoken about those players in that way," adding, "I am not a racist, but Black players cannot maintain concentration for more than 60 to 80 minutes."

He continued, "When I was a player, there were times when teammates had to protect them so they wouldn't make mistakes."

Although the host challenged the remarks, Bogdanovic did not back down, repeatedly claiming that "the majority lack concentration."

However, Bogdanovic later faced intense criticism and eventually apologized.

In a statement sent to Reuters, Bogdanovic said, "I sincerely apologize for the comments I made about Black football players."

RTS also issued an official apology to its viewers.

RTS distanced itself from the incident, stating, "Mr. Bogdanovic is not an employee of our company but was appointed as a guest commentator for the duration of this tournament," adding, "We apologize that remarks concerning members of a specific race were broadcast on our program."

Nevertheless, Bogdanovic returned to the RTS studio on June 23 to provide commentary for the Group J match between Argentina and Austria.

Bogdanovic was a standout foreign player who played for the K-League 1 side Pohang Steelers for five seasons starting in 1992 under the registered name "Rade," recording 57 goals and 36 assists in 150 matches, including K-League and League Cup games.

He also played for clubs such as Spain's Atletico Madrid and Germany's Werder Bremen, and in 1997, he made three appearances for the Yugoslavia national team, scoring two goals.

Meanwhile, prior to Bogdanovic, former Dutch national team player Rafael van der Vaart also faced criticism for racist remarks while serving as a commentator for the Dutch public broadcaster NOS during the Group F first match between Japan and the Netherlands.

Reflecting on the Netherlands' defensive lapse in the match, which ended in a 2-2 draw following a late equalizer by Japan's Daichi Kamada in the 88th minute, Van der Vaart said, "Japanese players look a bit similar to each other. Micky van de Ven (who missed the Japanese player) might have thought so too."

As the atmosphere turned cold, he attempted to downplay the comment by saying, "Of course, it's a joke," but eventually apologized after the controversy grew.

Van der Vaart also continues to serve as a World Cup commentator for NOS.

(Photo: Courtesy of Pohang Steelers, Yonhap News)

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