MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Sunday is Father’s Day. Except perhaps for the Cape Verdean goalkeeper Vosinya.
The feel-good story of the World Cup returns to the field on Sunday. Cape Verde will play against Uruguay in the second group stage match between both teams. And Vosinha, real name Josimar Jose Evola Díaz, will have his mother in the stands for that game. She missed Cape Verde’s impressive opening game against Spain because she was unable to obtain a visa.
But Ana Candida Evora is here and makes Cape Verde’s story even better.
“I would like to thank all the fans and their support for the team, especially Cape Verde,” Evora said on Sunday in a video message distributed by FIFA. “We are all rooting for Cape Verde to play well and shine on the pitch. The players need to have faith and everything will be fine.”
“Hold your heads up high on the pitch and push towards the goal, and you’ll do great, my boys. Kiss me, be strong and brave. Blue Sharks!”
This team is commonly referred to as “Tubarões Azuis” in Portuguese, meaning Blue Sharks.
Her visa issues (mainly the financing needed to obtain the visa) were resolved after apparent cooperation between the US State Department, FIFA, US Congress, and the Cape Verde Soccer Federation to clear the way for Evora to come to Miami. She arrived from Cape Verde on Friday afternoon after a more than 24-hour journey and was immediately surrounded by FIFA officials and volunteers as she passed through the airport.
Vosinya had about 50,000 followers. on Instagram as the World Cup begins. By Sunday morning, he had amassed 14.9 million followers after capturing the attention of the global sports world by leading Cape Verde, one of the pre-tournament favorites, to a goalless draw with Spain.
After the match against Spain, he tearfully commented that he wished his mother’s visa issue had been resolved in time for the World Cup after watching his late grandparents play in the World Cup, which became a hot topic. With that, Evora began an immediate effort to find a way to get to the United States for the tournament.
And this draw, combined with the story of the 40-year-old goalkeeper and his mother, brought unprecedented attention to Cape Verde’s soccer team.
“It was intense,” Cape Verde forward Garry Rodriguez said. “But we are professionals, so the game against Spain is a thing of the past. … We are still human beings. It was very intense to see everything on the Internet. But we can’t use that as an excuse. We know our goals. We know our goals.”
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
