The State Department said it "is actively reaching out" to goalkeeper Vozinha's family to "assist with visa services"
Credit: Buda Mendes/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Cape Verdean goalkeeper Vozinha helped his team to a 0-0 draw against the heavily favored Spain in Cape Verde’s first-ever World Cup match
- Vozinha told reporters his mother could not attend the match in Atlanta because of a “visa issue”
- The U.S. State Department said it has no record of his mother applying for a visa, and is now “actively reaching out to this player’s family to assist with visa services”
Cape Verdean goalkeeper Vozinha gave a historic World Cup performance against Spain in Atlanta on Monday, June 15, but his mother had to watch from home in Cape Verde.
Although the game ended in a 0-0 draw, Cape Verde far exceeded expectations by not allowing one of Europe's best teams to score. The game also marked the Cape Verde men's national soccer team's debut in the World Cup. Vozinha, born Josimar José Évora Dias, broke down in tears once time expired.
“I cried after the game because I grew up with my grandparents when I was a kid, and they could not be there. They passed away a few years ago. My mum could not be here either for a visa issue, and the money we had to pay for it. We did not manage to do this in time,” Vozinha, 40, told reporters after the match, per The Athletic.
Credit: REUTERS/Davidson Alves
"I would have loved to travel and watch the match but it was not possible," his mother, Ana Candida Evora, told Reuters.
The U.S. Department of State told PEOPLE it did not have records of Vozinha’s mother applying for a visa to travel to the U.S.
"The U.S. Department of State has no record of this individual applying for a visa. All relatives of players are eligible for visa bond waivers, and the Department is actively reaching out to this player's family to assist with visa services,” a spokesperson told PEOPLE.
Cape Verde is on the list of countries whose citizens need to post bonds of up to $15,000 to enter the U.S., notes Reuters. However, in May, President Donald Trump's administration said it would waive this for World Cup ticket holders.
"It is not easy for a Cape Verdean resident to travel to a World Cup. Airfare, accommodation and match tickets all involve significant costs," Mario Semedo, president of Cape Verde's national football federation, told Reuters.
"There are certainly ways to manage immigration concerns while also creating conditions that allow supporters to travel," Semedo continued. "If a player's family member, for example, wants to attend the tournament, every effort should be made to facilitate that."
Despite his mother not being present at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday, Vozinha still expressed his gratitude for representing Cape Verde on the world stage against Spain.
“I am so proud about being man of the match,” Vozinha, who didn't start playing professionally until 25, said, per The Athletic. “For me it’s an honor to represent the country I love. We are from a very small place, and our qualification path was very difficult too. Today, our dream came true by competing against a team like Spain. I am very proud of all the people involved in that process.”
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“This is a message of thank you to everybody in Cap Verde,” Vozinha told reporters. “We are very happy after this, this group of players have worked a lot to live this moment. It’s a day to be proud and satisfied.”
For Evora, she always knew her son would succeed.
"I said that no ball would enter his goal, and that is exactly what happened," Evora, 59, told Reuters. "He is a great goalkeeper. I am very proud to be Vozinha's mother, and I hope he continues to save every ball that comes his way."
Cape Verde’s next match is against Uruguay on Sunday, June 21.
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