When the moment he had waited for his entire career finally arrived, 40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha cried.
Mixed with tears of joy that his tiny nation had held World Cup co-favorite Spain to a shocking 0-0 draw, Vozinha also had tears of regret — partially because his grandparents didn’t live to see the moment but also because his mother, Ana Candida Evora, couldn’t be in Atlanta to witness it.
It appears that will change when Cape Verde faces Uruguay at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, June 21.
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The U.S. State Department, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries intervened to issue Evora a visa in time for her to fly to the United States.
Vozinha had explained his tears were “also because my mom, she didn’t manage to be here because of the visa … because of the money we have to pay for the visa. We didn’t manage on time. And I would like her to be here.”
Cape Verde is one of 50 countries whose citizens were required by the administration to post a $15,000 refundable bond to prevent overstaying of visas. A State Department official told CNN it had no record of her request for a visa and that players’ relatives were eligible for bond waivers.
“The department is actively reaching out to this player’s family to assist with visa services,” the official told CNN.
Cape Verde, with a population of about 525,000, is the third-smallest nation to ever qualify for the World Cup. The Blue Sharks held European champion Spain to a scoreless draw in their Cup debut behind Vozinha, born Josimar Dias. He was named the match’s top player after making seven saves, many acrobatic.
He became an overnight sensation. His Instagram account exploded from fewer than 50,000 followers before the match to 12.3 million as of the afternoon of Wednesday, June 17.
While his popularity rocketed overnight, his road to this point required 25 years of dedication. Asked what he might tell his 18-year-old self, Vozinha said, “I’m very proud of him and he worked a lot for this moment. He never dreamed that maybe this will happen. But dream, then maybe this will happen. Today with all of this I think the Vozinha from 18 years old is very, very happy and very proud of himself.”
Jeffries wrote on social media that Vozinha and Cape Verde “shocked and inspired the world” against Spain, a result celebrated by neutral fans alike.
“That joy was tempered a bit when Vozinha tearfully revealed that his own mother was unable to watch her son’s iconic performance in person due to visa complications,” Jeffries wrote. “No mother should miss the chance to see her child make history.”
Jeffries and Rubio spoke and began clearing the way for her to be in attendance in Miami on Sunday.
Cape Verde is located off the coast of West Africa. It is an archipelago, a group of islands often formed by volcanic activity. It’s about 1,544 square miles, about the size of Rhode Island.
The country gained independence from Portugal in 1975 and formed a national team three years later. It qualified for the 48-team World Cup field by going 5-0 in home qualifying matches while not conceding a single goal.
The other opening match in Group H saw Uruguay and Saudi Arabia finish in a 1-1 draw. With all four teams in the group even at one point apiece, the battle for a berth in the knockout stages could be decided by goal differential. The Blue Sharks’ final match in group play will be June 26 vs. the Saudis in Houston.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Mother of Cape Verde goaltender getting visa for World Cup Miami trip
Reporting by Hal Habib, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Hal Habib, Palm Beach Post | USA TODAY Network
