An award-winning reporter for ABC7 Los Angeles has apologized after making comments about Bosnia-Herzegovina that were widely described as insensitive and inappropriate during a live World Cup broadcast. The backlash followed a report by Abigail Velez on the U.S. national team's upcoming match.
Velez was reporting from a viewing party in Long Beach, California, following the U.S. team's 3-2 loss to Turkey. She informed viewers that the U.S. would play Bosnia next. During the segment, Velez stated, "one thing about Bosnia, I could not point out where it is on a map. I don’t know the first thing about Bosnia and I don’t want to know because Team USA, we’re back, we’re better than ever." She also told the nation to "Get prepared, Bosnia, because you don’t want it, you don’t want it like that, but you’re gonna get it."
These remarks quickly drew criticism on social media platforms, with users calling the comments stereotypical and dismissive. One X account, Bosnian Football, shared a clip of Velez's report and wrote, "My goodness, the stereotypes write themselves…"
Velez, who joined ABC7 in November 2025, addressed the controversy on Saturday, offering an apology for what she called a "poor effort to have a little fun." She explained that the segment was intended to be light-hearted but went too far.
"I took it too far and made a thoughtless comment on air that was insensitive and inappropriate," Velez wrote on X. "I apologize to the people of Bosnia and the Bosnian Football team. The World Cup is supposed to be about uniting communities around the world, and my comment didn’t reflect that spirit. Wishing all the teams the very best as they continue their World Cup journey."
The U.S. men's national team and Bosnia-Herzegovina are scheduled to meet in the next round of the World Cup at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. The U.S. finished atop Group D with six points, while Bosnia-Herzegovina advanced from Group B as one of the best third-place teams with four points.