US Department plans to bring Cape Verde’s goalkeeper mother to the World Cup

By Amaechi Agbo

The U.S. State Department is actively working to assist Ana Candida Evora, the mother of Cape Verde’s veteran goalkeeper Josimar Vozinha, in traveling to the United States.
The diplomatic intervention follows a viral, emotional post-match interview after Cape Verde held European Champions Spain to a scoreless draw, where the 40-year-old shot-stopper broke down in tears.
He revealed his mother could not attend Cape Verde’s historic 0-0 World Cup debut draw against Spain because they could not afford the mandatory U.S. visa bond.
In January, a U.S. policy mandated that citizens from certain nations, including Cape Verde, must pay a returnable travel bond of up to $15,000 in addition to standard visa fees. This cost initially forced Evora to rule out the 6,400km journey to Atlanta.
Following public outcry, U.S. House Democratic Leader, Hakeem Jeffries publicly pressured Secretary of State Marco Rubio to step in, stating that “no mother should miss the chance to see her child make history”.
A U.S. State Department official clarified that while Evora had not formally submitted an application, relatives of World Cup players are eligible for visa bond waivers. U.S. officials are now fast-tracking her visa services so she can watch her son’s upcoming matches.
Cape Verde, one of the smallest nations to ever qualify for a FIFA World Cup, shocked the football world by holding European giants Spain to a scoreless draw. Vozinha earned Man of the Match honors after pulling off seven heroic saves.
The 40-year-old veteran has been Cape Verde’s starting goalkeeper for 13 years, having only started his professional football career at the age of 25.
Cape Verde will next face Uruguay in their second match on June 21 by 11pm and will round up their Group H campaign against Saudi Arabia on Saturday, June 27 by 1am