Priced out of World Cup, Vozinha's mother watches son's heroics from home

PRAIA, June 16 : Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha stunned the world by shutting out Spain's formidable attacking line-up in the island nation's World Cup debut on Monday but one woman was not the least bit surprised.

A day before the match, Vozinha's mother Ana Candida Evora went on state television to confidently predict that no-one would manage to score past her son - a fact she pointed out to Reuters on Tuesday as her countrymen recovered from all-night celebrations after the 0-0 group-stage draw.

"I said that no ball would enter his goal, and that is exactly what happened," said Evora, a 59-year-old house cleaner."He is a great goalkeeper. I am very proud to be Vozinha's mother, and I hope he continues to save every ball that comes his way."

After the final whistle on Monday in Atlanta, the 40-year-old Vozinha, whose real name is Josimar Dias, broke down in tears, in part because his mother had not been able to travel to see his heroics in person, he later told reporters, citing a visa issue. 

PRICEY VISA BOND COMPLICATES TRAVEL PLANS

In January, Cape Verde was included on a list of dozens of countries whose citizens needed to post bonds of up to $15,000 to enter the United States, under regulations introduced by Donald Trump's administration and intended to curb visa overstays.

Last month, Washington announced it was dropping the requirement for World Cup ticket holders, saying it wanted to facilitate "legitimate travel for the upcoming World Cup tournament".

By that point, however, the high costs had already caused Evora to rule out even trying to make the 6,400-km trip to Atlanta.

"I would have loved to travel and watch the match but it was not possible," she said.

The high costs of getting to the World Cup would be a problem