ABC7 TV presenter Abigail Velez has apologized for comments she made about Bosnia and Herzegovina ahead of the USMNT’s last 32 World Cup clash on Thursday.
The USMNT team have captured the imagination of the American public so far this summer by winning Group D.
Mauricio Pochettino’s team beat Paraguay and Australia to win the group, although they did lose to Turkey after benching several key players to rest and recover ahead of the Bosnia game.
The USMNT will now head to San Francisco to meet Bosnia in the last 32, after they progressed in second place out of Group B with four points having beaten Qatar and drawn with co-hosts Canada.
The game, however, has not been without controversy in the build up.
TV presenter sorry for comments about Bosnia
When reporting on the upcoming fixture, Velez said: “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.”
As is the way in the modern world, that clip went viral on social media and drew criticism.
Now, Velez has apologized. In a statement posted on social media on Saturday, she said: “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 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.”
The USMNT will be favorites to progress into the next round, although Bosnia are not to be overlooked.
Still, the manner in which the USMNT dealt with the group stage has raised a palpable level of excitement in the country.
Backed by home advantage, it would be a surprise to see them exit at this relatively early stage of the competition.
With star player Christian Pulisic fit again, there are reasons to be excited heading into the match.
Loss to Turkey aside, the USMNT’s World Cup campaign has so far proven better than many would have imagined prior to the tournament starting.
There is little point in pretending, however, that losing in the last 32 to Bosnia would not be a huge disappointment.
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