SANTIAGO, Chile — Cape Verdean goalkeeper Vozinha, who captured global attention during his breakout performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, has secured a rare rule exception that will let him display his famous nickname instead of his legal surname on his match jersey if he completes his move to Chile’s top-flight football league.
The Chilean Football Federation’s Primera Division governing body, ANFP, voted unanimously on Friday to approve the special waiver, which required amending league regulations that previously required all players to print only their family surnames on kit backs. Top leaders from Chilean professional clubs across the division united to support Vozinha’s request, which was advanced by his prospective new club Colo-Colo — Chile’s most successful and widely supported football institution. Vozinha’s full legal name is Josimar José Évora Dias, and the nickname Vozinha has been the moniker he has used throughout his professional playing career.
While the jersey rule change clears one key hurdle for the transfer, questions about the 40-year-old goalkeeper’s actual arrival in Chile have grown sharper over the past week. Colo-Colo announced Vozinha as a high-profile marquee signing seven days ago, with an initial arrival date set for last Tuesday. Visa processing delays first pushed his travel back to Thursday, but the shot-stopper ultimately never boarded his flight to Santiago, triggering anxiety and speculation among Colo-Colo’s leadership and millions of passionate fans.
Amid growing public concern over the status of the deal, Colo-Colo sporting director Jaime Pizarro moved quickly to reassure supporters Thursday evening, confirming that the club still intended to complete the transfer. Pizarro told reporters that club representatives had been in touch with Vozinha’s agent as recently as minutes before his press briefing, explaining that the player had requested a short extension to resolve unspecified personal matters that he has not yet detailed publicly. During the ANFP’s rule change vote Friday, Colo-Colo president Aníbal Mosa publicly acknowledged that the player’s official contract has not yet been signed, and multiple local Chilean media outlets have since confirmed that the nickname jersey exception was one of Vozinha’s non-negotiable conditions for finalizing the agreement.
On Friday, Colo-Colo head coach Fernando Ortiz backed Pizarro’s assurances, confirming he had spoken directly with Vozinha personally, while still maintaining measured caution around the pending transfer. “We spoke, and I could tell he was happy and pleased,” Ortiz told reporters at a press conference in Santiago. “Although he isn’t very expressive by nature, he is excited about the prospect of coming here — though he obviously has personal matters to take care of. The excitement surrounding a figure like him entering our league is understandable. Let’s hope he resolves his situation soon so we can count on him.”
Vozinha, who has remained active on his personal social media channels since the transfer was announced, has not yet released any public statement addressing the delay or his potential move to Chile. Despite the uncertainty, Ortiz said he remained confident the transfer was progressing appropriately, emphasizing: “Things are being done the right way.”