Reporter Abigial Velez made " offensive remarks" on the air about Bosnia and Herzegovina. Image: Social media
ABC reporter Abigail Velez didn’t just misspeak before the World Cup match between the U.S. and Bosnia and Herzegovina — she proudly advertised her ignorance. On air, she declared, “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. That’s because Team USA — we’re back, we’re better than ever.”
This wasn’t patriotism. It was arrogance dressed up as enthusiasm. And it was an embarrassment not only to ABC, but to the United States.
If Velez truly wanted to celebrate Team USA, she could have done so without mocking an entire nation. Instead, she chose to brag about not knowing basic geography — something any responsible journalist should consider a minimum requirement. To help her out, I sent her a message on Twitter with the flag and map of Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with its neighboring countries. It took me seconds. She could have done the same, but she apparently preferred flaunting ignorance over doing her job.
Had she bothered to look, she would have learned that Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of Europe’s most culturally rich countries, home to centuries of coexistence among Muslims, Orthodox Christians, Catholics, and Jews. Sarajevo, its capital, is often called the “Jerusalem of Europe” for a reason. She also might have discovered that roughly 9,000 U.S. troops are currently stationed there under NATO command as part of the Stabilization Force (SFOR), which totals about 35,800 personnel. In other words, Bosnia and Herzegovina is not some obscure dot on a map — it is a country where American service members live, work, and serve.
When a journalist dismisses another nation’s history, culture, and people as irrelevant, that is not patriotism. It is bigotry. It is disrespect. And it undermines the very values Americans claim to stand for.
Team USA deserves better representation than someone who thinks ignorance is a personality trait. I hope the players themselves show Bosnia and Herzegovina the respect Velez refused to offer — because Americans are not defined by her attitude, and they should not be represented by it.
Mahmoud El‑Yousseph is a Palestinian freelance writer and retired U.S. Air Force veteran. He writes on U.S. foreign policy, Middle East affairs, and justice. Email: elyousseph6@yahoo.com