Belgium coach Rudi Garcia’s description of Senegal as one of “those teams” that “tend to lose their tactical structure towards the end of the match” has reignited scrutiny of racially coded language at the World Cup.

Garcia made the remarks after Belgium’s last-gasp comeback against Senegal on Wednesday. In a statement posted on social media ​two days later, Garcia said he had been “referring to teams unaccustomed to managing a lead in high-level World Cup matches” and that his comments could apply to teams from any region.