"I cried because my mum didn't manage to be here because of the visa. Because of the money we had to pay, we didn't manage to get it done on time." That was Vozinha, 40 years old, man of the match against Spain, in tears after the most important result of his career — and his mother watched it from a living room in São Vicente.
That changes on Sunday. US House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries confirmed Wednesday that all visa fees for Ana Candida Evora have been waived, and she will be in Miami to watch Cape Verde face Uruguay. Jeffries credited Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the State Department for moving quickly once the situation went public.
The bureaucratic wall that almost held
Citizens of Cape Verde face a $15,000 returnable bond requirement to travel to the United States — on top of standard visa fees. The Trump administration dropped that requirement for World Cup ticket holders last month, but the damage was already done. By then, the cost had already ruled out the trip for Evora, a 59-year-old house cleaner.
It took a viral moment — Vozinha breaking down in a post-match interview watched by millions — and a direct call from a congressional leader to the Secretary of State to fix it. Not exactly a smooth system. But it got fixed.
Evora, watching from home, was characteristically direct about her son's performance: "I said that no ball would enter his goal, and that is exactly what happened."
What Sunday means for Cape Verde's tournament
Vozinha's backstory has made him one of the genuine human stories of this World Cup. Started playing professionally at 25. Spent 13 years as Cape Verde's goalkeeper. Nearly quit. Didn't. Now has millions of new followers and a historic point against Spain on his record.
Cape Verde still need a result against Uruguay to keep their knockout hopes alive — and the clean sheet against Spain showed they're not just here to make up the numbers. Whether Evora in the stands changes anything on the pitch is unknowable. What's certain is that she'll be there.
"I have worked my whole life for this moment," Vozinha said Monday. "This is for everyone."
