Belgium coach Rudi Garcia responded to the criticism he received following his statements after the victory over Senegal in the World Cup.
Belgium
Garcia had sparked controversy after speaking about the opponent's decline in performance in the final minutes, saying: "We know those teams well; they lack tactical discipline in the final minutes when they are ahead," which some interpreted as belittling African teams.
Garcia said via his account: "I would like to clarify my statement after the match and remove any ambiguity."
He added, "When I spoke about these teams, I meant the teams that do not have enough experience in dealing with being ahead in big matches like the World Cup."
He stressed, "My statements were not directed against African teams; this could apply to teams from Asia, South America, or Europe."
The Belgium coach had said after the match that some teams lose their tactical organization at the end of matches when trying to hold onto a lead.
He indicated that this approach could be a mistake because it leads to a decline in performance.
Garcia faced widespread criticism on social media due to the negative interpretation of his statements.
Statistics also showed that the coach had previously suffered from losing leads in matches during his coaching career.
Garcia clarified that his remarks were general and did not target any specific continent or team.
