ABC 7 Los Angeles reporter Abigail Velez has apologized after a viral segment in which she expressed insensitivity and a lack of interest in reporting on the Bosnia national team, the U.S. team's opponent in an upcoming World Cup match.
In a pre-game broadcast, Velez stated she could not locate Bosnia on a map and did not wish to learn about the country, framing her remarks as a 'hype-up' monologue for Team USA. "The next round, Team USA will play Bosnia and the thing about Bosnia is that I could not point out where it is on the map," Velez said. "I don't know the first thing about Bosnia and I don't want to know. That's because Team USA, we're back and better than ever. Be prepared Bosnia, because you don't want it like that."
Her comments drew widespread criticism on social media, with many users calling her remarks ignorant and disrespectful. One Bosnian fan commented, "My goodness, the stereotypes write themselves." Even some American viewers expressed disappointment, with one writing, "Sorry Bosnia....we got some extremely stupid and ignorant people here that get to go [on] tv and embarrass us."
Velez addressed the backlash in a statement posted to her social media on Saturday evening. "In a poor effort to have a little fun with World Cup competition, I took it too far and made a thoughtless comment on air that was insensitive and inappropriate," she wrote. "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."
She concluded her statement by wishing all teams well in their World Cup journey. ABC 7 Los Angeles has not released an official statement regarding Velez's comments.
