Cape Verde's goalkeeper says visa issues stopped his mother from witnessing his World Cup heroics in person. In their World Cup debut, Cape Verde shocked the world by drawing against reigning European champions Spain, earning them their first ever point in the tournament.
Emotional Aftermath
The country's goalie, Josimar 'Vozinha' Dias, made seven saves during Monday's goalless draw against Spain, who won the tournament in 2010. The 40-year-old was visibly emotional on the pitch after the match, later describing the moment in an interview as one he'd been working towards 'his entire life' and one he wished he could have shared with his late grandparents and his mum.
'I cried because I grew up with my grandparents and unfortunately they were not here. They died a few years ago,' he said in an interview. He continued: 'They were everything to me. I also cried because my mum didn't manage to be here because of the visa. Because of the money we had to pay for the visa, we didn't manage to get it done on time. I would like her to have been here.'
Visa Hurdles
Earlier this year, the US government added Cape Verde to the list of countries whose citizens have to post a returnable bond of up to $15,000 USD ($21,250 AUD) on top of the visa fee. As a result, his mum was unable to complete the application.
Vozinha has been Cape Verde's No 1 player for 13 years and is the oldest player ever to make an appearance in a nation's debut World Cup game. 'I am also very happy,' he continued, 'I have worked my whole life for this moment. I'm 40 years old and started playing football professionally when I was 25 in 2012.'
'I thought about leaving but I continued because of this dream. This is for everyone. I was named man of the match but this is for all of my teammates because without them nothing would be possible. I will continue to work for Cape Verde and for the people.'
Coach's Praise
In a post match interview, Cape Verde's head coach Bubista praised Vozinha's efforts. 'Vozinha is overwhelmed by the emotion. He has made a huge effort to be here, and those were tears of resilience. I don't like to talk about individuals, but he played so well. The team was calm and that helped to keep him calm,' he said. 'This means everything for the country. We've always said that we want the whole world to see how our team plays.'
