ABC Los Angeles reporter Abigail Velez apologizes for ‘inappropriate’ comments about Bosnia and Herzegovina
ABC Los Angeles reporter Abigail Velez has apologized after making comments about Bosnia and Herzegovinia. (Image: ABC)
An American reporter was forced to apologize after making “inappropriate” comments about Bosnia and Herzegovina after the country was chosen as the United States’ opponent in the last 32 of the World Cup. Last week, ABC Los Angeles reporter Abigail Velez filmed a news segment in which she boasted that she “didn’t know anything about the Balkans”.
The U.S. men’s national team is scheduled to play Bosnia and Herzegovina next Wednesday in San Francisco in the Round of 32 of the World Cup. Mauricio Pochettino’s side are aiming for their first World Cup finals victory since beating Mexico 2-0 in the last 16 of the 2002 tournament.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of less than 3.5 million people, is one of the small African nations to reach the World Cup finals, along with Cape Verde, following an impressive draw with Spain.
Join us on Facebook! For the latest news, analysis and more on Mirror Football’s Facebook page
After the video spread across numerous social media platforms, Velez faced a large amount of online abuse. By Saturday, she felt she had to publicly apologize.
“In a poor attempt to have some fun at a World Cup match, I went too far and made insensitive, inappropriate and thoughtless comments on air,” she wrote.
“I apologize to the Bosnian people and the Bosnian football team. The World Cup is supposed to be about uniting communities around the world, and my comments did not reflect that spirit.”
“We wish all the teams the best as they continue their World Cup journey.”
Bosnia and Herzegovina players celebrate (Image: Jane Gershovich/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
Velez’s original broadcasts closely resembled Donald Trump’s trademark style, where he routinely boasts about America’s superiority while proudly displaying ignorance about world affairs.
The ABC reporter said, “Okay, in the next round, Team USA plays Bosnia next Wednesday, and one thing about Bosnia is you don’t know where it is on the map.
“I don’t really know about Bosnia (and Herzegovina), and I don’t want to know. That’s Team USA. We’re back and we’re better than ever.”
“It’s next Wednesday. Get ready, Bosnia, because you don’t want it to happen. You don’t want it to happen, but it will happen. It’s next Wednesday.”
Sign up now for the Make Football Great Again newsletter and get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox!
Upgrade your World Cup TV setup with Sky Glass ‘designed for soccer’
From £4.50
sky
Get the deal here
Sky is marking the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 20% discount on its entire range of glass TVs. Until June 17, shoppers can upgrade to a Sky smart TV ‘designed for football’ from £4.50 a month when taken with a Sky TV and Netflix package.
