Mia Khalifa brought to light a story about U.S. Officials assisting Cape Verde’s goalkeeper Vozinha’s mother in obtaining a visa so she can attend the 2026 World Cup, as cost and process barriers previously prevented her from being present for her son’s man of the match honor during a 0-0 draw against Spain.
Khalifa tweeted: “As beautiful and deserving as this is, it’s also a blatant example of how easily the state department can intervene with these manufactured visa issues most of the global south teams have had to endure as intimidation tactics by this tiny d*ck administration.”
She described the visa issues many Global South countries encountered as “manufactured” obstacles the administration (which she later identifies as Marco Rubio’s state department) used as “intimidation tactics.”
As of this reporting, Khalifa’s tweet has gone viral, with a number of responses, including comments comparing similar visa issues for national teams such as Iran, as well as questions about whether Vozinha’s mother had previously applied for a visa or whether she would have been entitled to a waiver.
Responses to Khalifa’s tweet have been varied:
One responder criticized her post, writing, “Are you people EVER satisfied? How can people be so miserable every day of their lives? Honestly, keep your negativity to yourself. The world is SICK OF IT.”
Another replied: “Deliberate policy choices by a racist admin made her miss the most important moment of her son’s career.”
Others had other suggestions: “The @FIFAcom should’ve covered visa fees for at least one family member for each player, and I’m sure they wouldn’t lose money.”
As of this report, there has been no comment on the visa issue either from the State Department or FIFA.
