Los Angeles reporter Abigail Velez has apologized for a “thoughtless” joke she made about Bosnia ahead of the men’s World Cup match between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the United States.
“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. I apologize to the people of Bosnia and the Bosnian Football team,” Velez said in a statement shared on social media Saturday.
“The World Cup is supposed to be about uniting communities around the world, and my comment didn’t reflect that spirit,” she said.
Velez’s original comment came after the United States lost to Türkiye but still won their group. “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 wanna know,” she said during the broadcast. “That’s because Team USA, we’re back, we’re better than ever. Get prepared Bosnia, because you don’t want it. You don’t want it like that. But you’re gonna get it.
Velez’s comments and apologies sparked discussion about the hiring practices of news organizations.
“ABC 7 Los Angeles reporter Abigail Velez went too far, in my view. She used biting sarcasm, unnecessary colloquialism and did zero research on the U.S. next opponent, Bosnia in her game preview,” wrote journalist Brian J. Shaw on X. “This is her apology statement for her unprofessional conduct. My advice to budding broadcast journalists is this: take the necessary time to get to know the subjects you’re talking about. It might mean the difference between having job security and entering a long unemployment line in our business. (ABC News president happens to be Bosnian.).”
Almin Karamehmedovic, the president of ABC, was born in Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This is the second men’s World Cup appearance Bosnia and Herzegovina has made since gaining independence in 1992. The country’s national team previously appeared in the 2014 men’s World Cup in Brazil. The team will head to the knock out round for the first time ever when they play the Americans.
