An ABC News reporter with El Paso ties has issued an apology after a joke about Bosnia and Herzegovina did not sit well with some World Cup fans.
ABC7 Los Angeles reporter Abigail Velez, who was crowned Miss El Paso Teen USA in 2016, went viral during a live broadcast after saying she didn’t know where Bosnia and Herzegovina was on a map and didn’t care while supporting the U.S. team.
Velez made the comments last week ahead of the matchup between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the U.S. men’s national team on Wednesday, July 1.
“And 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,” she said as she then rooted for the U.S. team.
Velez received backlash for expressing a lack of knowledge about the country. This is Bosnia and Herzegovina’s second World Cup appearance as an independent country.
On Friday, June 27, Velez posted an apology on her social media, including Facebook:
“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 the statement. “The World Cup is supposed to be about uniting communities around the world, and my comment didn’t reflect that spirit.”
María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150; mcortes@elpasotimes.com; @eptmaria.bsky.social on Bluesky, and @eptmariacg on TikTok.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: ABC reporter with El Paso ties apologizes for World Cup remarks
Reporting by Maria Cortes Gonzalez, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Maria Cortes Gonzalez, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
