A 2026 World Cup pundit has come under serious fire for disgusting comments he made during the match between Belgium and Iran on Sunday afternoon.

Belgium and Iran both opened up their World Cup campaigns with a draw. Iran shared the spoils in an entertaining match against New Zealand, while Belgium were held to a goalless draw by Egypt.

Both sides went into their clash at Los Angeles Stadium knowing that a victory would almost certainly see them seal their progression to the knockout rounds of the competition.

However, neither side could find a winner as they drew 0-0.

REUTERS/Daniel Cole

Belgium needed Lille ace Nathan Ngoy to step up in the absence of star player, Jeremy Doku. However, the 23-year-old was shown a straight red card in the 67th minute after dragging Mehdi Teremi when clear on goal.

Rade Bogdanovic, a former Serbian footballer who was capped three times by FR Yugoslavia, has come under fire for making racist comments in the aftermath of Ngoy’s error.

The 56-year-old, who played for the likes of Atletico Madrid and Werder Bremen in his playing career, said on RTS, per 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.”

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.”

Bogdanovic and RTS Release Statements

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Kirby Lee

Bogdanovic has apologised for his comments. He told Reuters, per the BBC: “I sincerely apologise for my statement regarding black football players.”

RTS also released a statement. They said: “We would like to inform the public that Mr Rade Bogdanovic is not employed by our company, but has been engaged as an expert commentator for the duration of the tournament.

Despite his comments, Bogdanovic was back in the RTS studio on Tuesday for Argentina’s 2-0 win against Austria.

Arsenal could make an astounding transfer decision this summer as Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta look to carefully tweak their squad. The Gunners are coming off the back of a superb season that saw them win the Premier League and come within a whisker of the Champions League title.

Having had such success, Arteta won’t want to make big changes to his squad, but there are a couple of positions he wants to upgrade, and it’s likely he will need to source replacements for some of the depth players who could be offered starting jobs elsewhere.

But it’s the more ruthless upgrade decisions that are going to be the hardest to make, and indeed the most difficult to get right, and one reported idea is certain to split opinion.

Odegaard could be up for sale

According to the BBC’s Sami Mokbel, Arsenal could be open to the idea of selling captain Martin Odegaard this summer. He said: “There have been some whispers over the summer that Arsenal might be interested in letting Martin Ødegaard go for the right price.”

Selling Odegaard would be a stunning decision from Arsenal, given how important the Norwegian has been during this successful run.

Odegaard has had some injury issues in the last couple of seasons, but there hasn’t been anything truly lengthy, and he made 36 appearances across all competitions during the season just gone.

The Norwegian provided eight assists during that time, but he did only manage one goal, and there is no doubting he will have wanted to have produced more in front of goal. While ruthless decisions have worked out for Arteta in the past, you do wonder what selling such an important member of the team would do to a largely settled Arsenal squad.

With Odegaard under contract until 2028, it’s not clear what Arsenal would view as a suitable offer to sell, but it would likely be a big fee.

Arteta is clearly a big fan of the attacking midfielder, saying in October: “That creativity is part of his nature. It doesn’t bring any pressure to him because it’s his best ability to generate things that not a lot of players can do. He has total freedom from my side to do and to explore and to take risks and to feel the movement and where he needs to be to generate those spaces. I think he’s certainly done that in the last two games.”

The Rogers factor

One possible key factor is the potential signing of Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers this summer. Rogers’ best position is in the attacking midfield role, and it’s not ideal to sign a player for £80million or so and play him away from his best position. Arsenal also have Eberechi Eze to use in the attacking midfield role.

Though, if Rogers was signed for the number 10 position, it would still leave Arsenal needing a left-winger, albeit the Odegaard fee might help pay for one. Still, the questions will come back to how much Arteta wants to disrupt this team at a moment when there is so much positivity, and given Odegaard’s quality as one of the best number 10s in the world, it’s not as if the upgrade is going to be a sizable one.

Arsenal are set to bid for Morgan Rogers after making the Aston Villa attacker their number one target, GIVEMESPORT understands. Arsenal are keen to add a starting left-winger, and the fact Rogers also thrives as a number ten is viewed as an added bonus.

Rogers is understood to be keen on a move to the Emirates Stadium, despite firm interest from Chelsea, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.

Although Villa insiders insist they want to keep Rogers, GMS understands a sale will be sanctioned at the right price. Rogers signed a new contract in November last year, keeping him at the club until 2031, but it only added a year to his existing terms.

Arsenal do not face competition from Liverpool right now

REUTERS/Peter Powell

There was an understanding last summer that Rogers could go for £80million, a price tag no suitor met. At that point, Liverpool were one of Rogers’ most active suitors but haven’t, as it stands, rekindled interest. And this number informs the valuation for this window and will prove a starting point for any engagement.

Villa will be watching closely at the kind of fees other players are valued at, including Leipzig’s €130million asking price for Yan Diomande, and the £70million Barcelona paid for Anthony Gordon with less time left on his contract than Rogers. Should they get a bidding war in addition, sources indicate they could ask for a figure closer to £100million. Yet Villa won’t unduly stand in Rogers’ way, something that was reiterated to the player when he signed fresh terms.

Rogers is at peak age and peak value, and Villa know bringing in a sale can help Unai Emery reinvest in multiple squad players and balance the books. Even with Champions League football this season, Villa are still looking to bring in funds as they navigate the final cycle of the Premier League’s Profit & Sustainability Rules and seek to satisfy UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP).

Arsenal consider themselves frontrunners to sign Rogers and will now begin formal talks with Aston Villa.

Rogers’ versatility will be key for Arsenal

Rogers, who has made 125 appearances for Villa, scoring 25 times, is currently on England duty. He was also named as the Player of the Tournament in the Europa League as Villa beat Freiburg 3-0 in the final to lift the trophy and qualify for the Champions League.

Rogers has no preference as to whether he is deployed as a left-winger or a number ten, and Arsenal value his versatility.

Elsewhere, Arsenal are one of the clubs keen on Morocco’s Ayyoub Bouaddi and face competition from several Champions League clubs, including Liverpool and PSG. The 18-year-old midfielder is likely to cost more than £55million.

And Arsenal are set to sign Leicester City winger Jeremy Monga for at least £10million. It doesn’t appear a tribunal will be necessary to establish the fee for the 16-year-old after the clubs have been able to reach a verbal agreement. Only final details now remain, and Monga has already agreed terms.