Belgium boss Rudi Garcia says his remarks were football related, not racially motivated

Belgium manager Rudi Garcia has rebuked allegations of racism following a controversial analysis of Belgium’s 3-2 win against Senegal at the World Cup. 

Following the final whistle, Garcia had said that “we know those teams…Towards the end of the match they lose their tactical structure.”

His words prompted speculation and criticism that his remarks were aimed at African nations and as such were racist. On Thursday, Garcia wrote in a statement on X saying that be saying “those teams” he was referring to teams “that are unaccustomed to managing a lead in high-level World Cup matches.

“My comments were by no means aimed at African teams. They could just as easily applied to Asian, South American or European teams unfamiliar with that kind of pressure.”

The Senegalese led 2-0 after 85 minutes before Belgium clawed their way back into the game with goals from Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans. The Aston Villa player scored the winner from the penalty spot in the fifth minute of stoppage time, at 125 minutes, the latest goal in World Cup history. 

Garcia said he learnt from personal experience “the hard way that stopping play to defend a result at all costs is counterproductive.”

The Belgian manager is not the first to land himself in hot water this World Cup.

Former Germany player Bastian Schweinsteiger was accused of using racial stereotypes when describing the playing style of the Ivory Coast national football team as a pundit during a 2026 World Cup broadcast. He referenced the Ivorians’ approach as ‘African football’ and it to be “a bit unorthodox, a bit wild, and not quite as tactical.”