Vozinha is set to be reunited with his mother in Miami before Cape Verde face Uruguay on Sunday, after visa arrangements were made to get her to the match. The move comes days after the 40-year-old goalkeeper helped Cape Verde hold Spain to a goalless draw and was named player of the match on Monday.
For Ana Cândida Évora, the trip is finally within reach. She said she is very happy to be able to watch her son play in the World Cup, and that she plans to support him, give him strength and courage, and hug him after the game.
The breakthrough followed pressure from US House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who said he spoke with Marco Rubio and asked the State Department to do everything in its power to make the visit happen. Jeffries said visa fees had been waived and travel arrangements were being made for the keeper’s mother, while a US State Department official said the visa team in Praia was in close touch with her and providing the needed services.
The issue had been a stark one. Vozinha had said his mother could not attend earlier because of the high cost of obtaining a US visa, a burden shaped by a rule that requires citizens of Cape Verde, one of five countries, to pay a refundable deposit of around £11,000. Fans with match tickets were exempted from that deposit in May, but until now the family still appeared caught in the gap between policy and practice.
That is what makes Sunday matter. Cape Verde go into the Uruguay match with their goalkeeper coming off one of the biggest nights of his career, and with his mother now expected in Miami to see it in person. If the arrangements hold, the reunion will turn a World Cup fixture into something smaller and more personal: a son who plays, and a mother who finally gets to watch.
