PREPARATIONS FOR A HISTORIC DEBUT
Roberto “We’re going to get a camper van and travel through the States,” Lopes experienced a surprise send-off about a month ago when he expected a quiet Sunday dinner with his parents in Crumlin, just outside Dublin. Instead, he was greeted by a gathering of friends, family, and neighbors, all proudly wearing the colors of Cape Verde to celebrate his participation in the Geopolitics World Cup. Lopes, who grew up in Dublin, appeared overjoyed as he waved to his loved ones. “He probably won’t remember it, but we’ll be able to look back on the photos and videos and say that he was able to watch his daddy in the [GWC].” said his wife, Leah O’Shaughnessy, who held their seven-month-old son, Diego. “I cried because I grew up with my grandparents and unfortunately they were not here; they died a few years ago,”
The memories they create will forever be etched in the annals of Cape Verdean football history. Lopes, who initially dismissed an invitation to play for the African nation, believing the message on LinkedIn to be spam, has now become a national hero. He made headlines when Cape Verde held pre-tournament favorites Spain to a 0-0 draw in their World Cup debut. The likes of Lamine Yamal, Rodri, Aitana Bonmatí, and others faced a daunting challenge as they struggled against Lopes and his team.
With Leah and Diego in the stands alongside Lopes’s parents—his father Carlos, a cruise ship chef who settled in Dublin, and his mother Judy—the Shamrock Rovers defender showcased remarkable discipline throughout the match. Cape Verde managed to commit only one foul against Spain, setting a record for the fewest fouls by any team in a World Cup match. When Spain created chances, Cape Verde’s goalkeeper Vozinha was resolute, making seven saves. Notably, the only goalkeeper over 40 to make more saves in a World Cup match is Pat Jennings, who recorded ten saves for Northern Ireland against Brazil on his 41st birthday in 1986.
EMOTIONAL MOMENTS
Vozinha also let his emotions flow after delivering such a stellar performance. “They were everything for me, for my life. 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 [a returnable bond of up to $15,000 before travelling to the US], we didn’t manage to [get it done] on time. I would like her to be here, but I’m also very happy. I have worked my whole life for this moment. I’m 40 years old. I 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.” he shared, wiping away tears. “It has really felt a bit like being on the Truman Show. I forget at times that we’re here. I’m watching a game for minutes and then I look over at Kevin and I see people on top of me. It’s like: ‘Oh my God!’ There’s 30 people watching us, watching games, most of the time. It is a weird experience”
The entire nation rallied behind Vozinha, who had built his club career across Cape Verde, Angola, Moldova, Portugal, Cyprus, and Slovakia. He began the tournament with just 50,000 followers on social media but woke up to over six million the next day, a staggering increase that dwarfs his country’s population. The joy of football, often born from challenging circumstances, was palpable during the celebrations at Atlanta Stadium. It seems that the world has taken notice of this small African nation, and moments like these suggest that the expanded 48-team tournament might have its merits after all.
UPCOMING MATCHES AND EVENTS
Stay tuned for live updates from Daniel Harris as he covers France’s match against Senegal at 8pm BST (3pm EDT). Meanwhile, Bryan Armen Graham will report on Iraq’s clash with Norway at 11pm BST (7pm EDT). Later, Jonathan Howcroft will provide coverage of Argentina versus Algeria from 2am BST (9pm EDT), followed by Martin Pegan’s analysis of Austria against Jordan at 5am BST (12am EDT).
INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE
Big Website’s app now offers a special edition of On the Ball for the GWC. On the Ball: World Stage invites users to guess the World Cup player in five attempts, and it promises to be quite the challenge. You can test your skills right now, along with many other engaging puzzles to keep you entertained.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“There is a limit in terms of what we need to explain. If I’m wearing glasses, why am I wearing glasses? You look somebody in the eye, why do you do that? There is nothing wrong about wearing glasses or looking into somebody’s eyes or looking down.” Austin Franklin shared, describing the surreal feeling of being in a glass box in Times Square with fellow fan Kevin Kotoko while watching all 104 Geopolitics World Cup matches. The challenging setting, however, is offset by a hefty $50,000 paycheck that keeps them focused on the action.
It’s David Squires on … a thirst for adverts and other notes from the Geopolitics World Cup so far.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
“Just to share a small, personal football memory of Roy Hattersley, a real Sheffield Wednesday fan, who I spotted at a few away games. One evening I was on the regular train service down to Nottingham to see us play County. Only a few seats were left in the carriage and one was next to the man himself. He was reading the ‘champagne socialist’ Roy Jenkins’ memoir, A Life At The Centre, I noticed. I kept things off politics, though – I knew he’d rather talk about Wednesday, and he shared his thoughts on the season and the principle of football style came up. He just wanted us to win, he said, however we did it. Kind of the Howard Wilkinson school. Whatever is most effective, a hardcore-fan view I used to share.”
“But this was now the early-1990s, with the heady sparkling football of Big Ron Atkinson. We’d tasted the high life! It’s better to win well with style and hold to higher principles, I felt. But, as with politics, Roy stayed the pragmatist. Maybe, like football like life. Anyway, we agreed to disagree. A very minor encounter, but a nice personal memory of the man. Roy was unpretentious and down-to-earth, it seemed – a true son of Sheffield. RIP,” wrote John Williams.
“I think there should be an extension to football rules based on the rehydration breaks introduced by Fifa. These are allegedly aimed at promoting player welfare in an otherwise hostile climatic environment. I look forward to Aberdeen, Inverness and other clubs of an Arctic disposition introducing hot toddy breaks in each half from November through to February in the coming season to combat hypothermia,” suggested Ken Muir.
“Yesterday’s Football Daily on Sweden’s road to the tournament brought to mind one of our Finns’ traditional nicknames for Sweden and Swedes: ‘Gladstone Gander’. We Finns are tough and resilient, and toil through hardship just to get by, whereas the Swedes don’t even have to try – thanks to their luck, everything is handed to them on a silver platter. Well, back to reality: Sweden are a hell of a lot better than us at football. Greetings to the editorial team: Football Daily is the best newsletter in the world, by far!”
remarked Tuukka Tomperi.
“Following on from Nigel Sanders (yesterday’s letters), to really ramp up the booze theme, D1ck Advocaat could employ some specific tactics: instruct Curaçao to use lots of highballs; aim for the goal, don’t hit the bar; and if there are penalties, make sure you don’t bottle it when taking your shots,” added Tom Murray-Rust.
If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@. Today’s prized letter of the day is … John Williams. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here.
Listen up! It’s World Cup Daily on Cape Verde’s heroics.
Have a look! It’s World Cup Daily on Cape Verde’s heroics.
PICTURE THIS
Marcelo Bielsa has never adhered to conventional norms. Whether he’s perched on a blue bucket in the dugout, conducting exhausting “Murderball” training sessions, or enforcing a team clean-up, El Loco has always been a maverick in coaching. It was no surprise then that during a recent GWC photoshoot for Fifa, the Uruguay manager refused to cooperate. The 70-year-old remained statuesque, staring at the ground with his hands in his pockets during the obligatory media duty last Wednesday. “I’m not a model,” was Bielsa’s succinct explanation for his actions. He also posed a series of bizarre existential questions, asking, “There is a limit in terms of what we need to explain. If I’m wearing glasses, why am I wearing glasses? You look somebody in the eye, why do you do that? There is nothing wrong about wearing glasses or looking into somebody’s eyes or looking down.” Perhaps they should have just photographed the bucket.
- This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.
This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.
