Colo-Colo’s hopes of turning Vozinha’s newfound global fame into a marketing windfall have run into an unexpected obstacle: Chilean league rules won’t let him wear his nickname on the back of his jersey.
Regulations from Chile’s football federation, the ANFP, prohibit players from displaying nicknames on their shirts, meaning the Cape Verdean goalkeeper will have to play for the Chilean record champions under his legal name, Josimar Évora Dias. At Colo-Colo, he’ll now need to decide whether to go with “Évora Dias,” just “Évora,” or simply “Dias” on the back of his jersey.
For the club, the restriction is a genuine headache. Beyond bolstering the squad on the field, Colo-Colo had hoped Vozinha’s arrival would translate into a commercial boost as well. The 40-year-old became a global sensation almost overnight after his standout performance helped Cape Verde hold eventual champions Spain to a scoreless draw in their World Cup opener. His Instagram following exploded in the aftermath, jumping from under 50,000 to nearly 30 million.
With that scale of following, virtually every one of those followers represents a potential buyer for a Colo-Colo jersey bearing the name Vozinha. Having him take the field under his real name instead is unlikely to generate anywhere near the same commercial interest.
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However, the ANFP has granted exceptions like this before, and Colo-Colo is hopeful the body will make a similar allowance for the veteran goalkeeper, whose legal name is Josimar José Évora Dias, letting him take the field as Vozinha just as he did throughout the World Cup.
“We have this problem. I spoke with the ANFP and they showed good disposition. There is a Council of Presidents that was already called for Friday. I have spoken with several presidents of other clubs and they have shown me their favourable disposition to have the possibility of him playing with the name Vozinha, considering that he did so in the most important event in the world,” Colo-Colo president Aníbal Mosa told reporters on Wednesday.
Vozinha most recently spent two seasons with Portuguese second-division club GD Chaves, where his contract expired this summer. Following his standout World Cup run, interest poured in from multiple clubs, with reports suggesting Real Betis and clubs in Saudi Arabia had also attempted to sign him. He ultimately chose Colo-Colo, agreeing to a deal with the Santiago-based record champions running through the end of the year, with a club option to extend it an additional season.
