ABC presenter Abigail Vélez has apologised after making what she called a 'thoughtless comment' about Bosnia and Herzegovina during a live broadcast ahead of the USA's World Cup match against the Balkan nation.
What happened during the broadcast
Vélez was presenting ABC7 Eyewitness News from a watch party in Long Beach, California, on Thursday, where the USA had just lost 3-2 to Turkey. During her segment, she turned her attention to the upcoming match between the USA and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
'One thing about Bosnia, I could not point out where it is on a map,' she said. '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. Get prepared Bosnia, because you don't want it like that, but you're gonna get it.'
Reaction from the Bosnian team
The official Bosnia-Herzegovina national football team account responded on X (formerly Twitter), posting: 'My goodness, the stereotypes write themselves…' The post has been viewed over 11 million times. In the comments, the team noted that ABC News president Almin Karamehmedovic is Bosnian, adding: 'The worst part is the confidence that she said this with!'
Vélez's apology
Vélez issued an apology on Instagram in an all-text post. '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 apologise 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 Bosnian team shared the apology as an update to their earlier tweet, which had divided social media users. Some, like Aidan Simardone on X, commented: 'Americans aren't just ignorant, they are proud of their ignorance.' Others, such as Mike della Phora, defended Vélez: 'Apologise for what? It was a joke aimed at herself.'
