Cape Verde’s goalkeeper, Vozinha, hero of the goalless draw against Spain in the 2026 World Cup, will finally be able to see his mother enter the United States, After meeting the financial requirements to obtain a visa, a Democratic leader in the American Congress announced this Wednesday (17).
“I am privileged to announce that Vozinha’s mother will be able to obtain her visa in time to attend Sunday’s game against Uruguay,” said Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic minority leader in the Chamber of Deputies, in a statement.
The New York congressman said he had interceded with the American Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to resolve the problem.
On Monday, in the opening of Group H, Vozinha stopped the Spanish attack and guaranteed Cape Verde, an archipelago of around 500,000 inhabitants located on the northwest coast of Africa, its first point in a World Cup.
Voted best player of the match, the 40-year-old Cape Verdean goalkeeper was moved to tears after the final whistle, surrounded by his teammates.
“I cried because I grew up with my grandparents and, unfortunately, they passed away a few years ago. They did everything for me and today they weren’t here. My mother couldn’t come either because of her visa,” he explained, specifying that there was no “managed to raise enough money in time”.
The United States imposed significant visa restrictions ahead of the World Cup, especially for African countries, strictly enforcing the immigration policy promoted by President Donald Trump.
Washington specifically required citizens of 50 developing nations, including Cape Verde, to pay a deposit of between US$5,000 and US$15,000 (R$25,000 and R$75,000 at current exchange rates) to obtain a visa, an amount refundable upon return to their country of origin.
This system was made more flexible for some fans a month before the start of the World Cup.
Segundo Hakeem Jeffries, “the details of the trip are being finalized so that mother and son can reunite in Miami,” where Vozinha and the ‘Blue Sharks’ will play their second match of the tournament on Sunday against Uruguay, before the final Group H clash on June 27 against Saudi Arabia.
