06/21/26 10:37:00
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06/21 10:35 CDT 'Have faith': Vozinha's mom speaks out as Cape Verde heads back
to World Cup field
'Have faith': Vozinha's mom speaks out as Cape Verde heads back to World Cup
field
By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) --- Sunday is Father's Day. Except, perhaps, for Cape
Verde goalkeeper Vozinha.
The feel-good story of the World Cup will be back on the field Sunday, when
Cape Verde takes on Uruguay in the second group-stage match for both teams. And
Vozinha --- whose name is Josimar Jos vora Dias --- will have his mother in
the stands for that match; she was unable to attend Cape Verde's stunning
opening draw against Spain because she couldn't obtain a visa.
Ana Candida Evora is here now, though --- making Cape Verde's story even better.
"I want to thank all the fans, everyone who helped in the process, for the
support you gave to the team, especially to Cabo Verde," Evora said Sunday in
remarks distributed by FIFA in a video message. "We're all rooting for Cabo
Verde to play well, to shine on the pitch. The players need to have faith and
everything will go well.
"Keep your heads held high, go onto that pitch, push for a goal and you'll
perform beautifully, my boys. A kiss for you, be strong and brave. Blue Sharks!"
The team is commonly called ?Tubaroes Azuis' in Portuguese, which translates to
Blue Sharks.
Her visa issues --- primarily raising the money needed for one --- were worked
out after the U.S. State Department, FIFA, U.S. lawmakers and Cape Verde's
soccer federation evidently combined efforts and cleared a path for Evora to
come to Miami. She arrived Friday afternoon after more than 24 hours of travel
from Cape Verde and was immediately surrounded by FIFA officials and volunteers
as she made her way through the airport.
Vozinha had about 50,000 followers on Instagram as the World Cup was starting.
He was up to 14.9 million followers by Sunday morning after he grabbed the
world's sporting attention by leading Cape Verde to a scoreless draw against
Spain --- one of the pre-tournament favorites to win the title.
He went viral after that match against Spain with tearful comments, wishing
that his late grandparents could have seen him play in the World Cup and that
his mother's visa issues had been resolved in time to be there. That sparked an
immediate effort to find ways for Evora to get to the U.S. for the tournament.
And the tie, combined with a story of a 40-year-old goalie and his mom, brought
attention onto Cape Verde's soccer team like never before.
"It's been intense," Cape Verde forward Garry Rodrigues said. "But as we are
professionals, the game (against) Spain is now in the past. ... We're still
human. Seeing everything on the internet has been very intense. But we cannot
use that as an excuse. We know our targets. We know our goals."
___
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
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