SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Vozinha, the breakout Cape Verde goalkeeper who rose to global fame during the World Cup, will be allowed to display his nickname on his jersey when he joins Chilean football.
The exception was unanimously approved on Friday by the ANFP, which organizes Chile's Primera Division.
The decision required amending league regulations, which previously mandated that players wear only their surnames on their jerseys. Top executives across Chilean clubs backed the request on behalf of the player, whose full name is Josimar José Évora Dias.
However, questions continue to mount over the goalkeeper’s actual arrival. Announced a week ago as a marquee signing for Colo-Colo — Chile’s most decorated club — the 40-year-old Vozinha was initially scheduled to land in Santiago on Tuesday. After visa issues delayed his travel to Thursday, he ultimately failed to board his flight, raising alarms among the club and its fanbase.
Amid growing concern, Colo-Colo director Jaime Pizarro insisted the deal was still on.
“We have been in contact with his agent as recently as a few minutes ago,” Pizarro told reporters late Thursday, explaining that Vozinha requested an extension to “resolve some personal matters” that he did not elaborate on.
During the ANFP meeting, Colo-Colo president Aníbal Mosa reportedly acknowledged the contract has not yet been signed. According to details leaked to local media, being allowed to use his nickname on his shirt was one of Vozinha’s conditions for accepting the deal.
Colo-Colo coach Fernando Ortiz backed Pizarro on Friday, confirming he spoke directly with the goalkeeper while remaining cautious about the transfer.
“We spoke, and I could tell he was happy and pleased,” Ortiz said during a press conference. “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.”
Despite being active on social media, Vozinha has not yet publicly commented on the potential move to Chile. Coach Ortiz, however, remained unfazed: “Things are being done the right way,” he emphasized.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha adjusts his socks during a FIFA legends soccer match being played two days ahead of the World Cup final in New York, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha gathers the ball ahead of former Mexican soccer player Luis Hernandez during a FIFA legends soccer match being played two days ahead of the World Cup final in New York, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
PHOENIX (AP) — Authorities released an early ransom note in the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie in hopes that someone will recognize the writing style. A second note released Friday indicated Guthrie died shortly after she was kidnapped.
Both notes initially went to a Tucson television station days after the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie went missing from her home outside Tucson on Feb. 1. Authorities have not said whether Nancy Guthrie is still alive.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department said “we believe these distinctive linguistic characteristics may be recognizable to someone who knows or has interacted with the notes’ writer.”
The first note, sent Feb. 2, said Guthrie was safe but scared and would be released unharmed once her captors received $4 million in cryptocurrency, with the ransom amount increasing if the first demand was not met.
It said Guthrie would be released within 12 hours if the payment was received. It also included a threat to kill her if the ransom wasn’t paid.
"Your mother is aware of this and her life is in your hands,” the first note read. “It is in the best interest of everyone to have this completed as soon as possible.”
The second note was sent Feb. 6 and said Guthrie died shortly after she was taken. “She is buried in nature now,” the second note said. “Nothing you could have done could have changed the outcome.” The note ends with an apology, “We are truly sorry.”
The sheriff’s department said the notes reveal a distinctive pattern of word choices and provide insight into the writer’s mindset. The agency said someone who knows the notes’ writer may recognize the patterns.
Authorities similarly used a suspect’s own writings as a tool to apprehend Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski, branded the “Unabomber” by the FBI. Kaczynski, who killed three people and injured 23 others with mail bombs over a 17-year span, pressured The Washington Post, in conjunction with The New York Times, to publish his 35,000-word manifesto in 1995. Federal authorities encouraged its publication, leading Kaczynski’s brother and sister-in-law to recognize the syntax and anti-technology themes and tip off the FBI, bringing to a close the agency’s longest and costliest investigation at the time.
In a statement Friday, the sheriff’s department also appealed to people who may know something about the case, saying it may be difficult to come forward due to a personal relationship with someone involved or just for their own safety.
“We recognize relationships and loyalties change over time as do people and their perspectives,” the sheriff’s department wrote. “It is not too late to come forward.”
The sheriff’s office also said Friday that two videos recovered from Guthrie’s doorbell camera might be from two separate days and indicate an unidentified male prepared ahead of when Guthrie was taken. Authorities are seeking information on anyone who was behaving differently, changed their physical appearance, suddenly left the Tucson area, or had a noticeable or unexplained interest or disinterest in the case.
“Investigators continue to pursue every available technological and investigative lead,” the sheriff’s office said. “However, community members remain a vital resource as we seek to provide answers for Nancy’s family.”
On Feb. 4, Savannah Guthrie and her siblings first shared a video statement saying they were aware of media reports of a purported ransom letter and that they were ready to talk and listen, but they wanted proof that their mother was alive. Camron Guthrie, the brother of the “Today” co-anchor, said the following day that the family had not heard directly from whoever took their mother.
A day after the second note was sent, Savannah Guthrie said on Feb. 7 that the siblings received a message and “understand,” without sharing details. She said they were begging for their mother to be returned to them. “We will pay,” Guthrie said.
The family has continued to share their pleas for information in videos posted to social media.
Also, two men detained and released early in the investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance are seeking a combined $3 million against a southern Arizona sheriff’s department. In a legal claim, they say they were wrongfully held by law enforcement.
The claim made Thursday against Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos’ department centers on the separate detentions of Carlos Alfredo Palazuelos and Daniel Maddow on Feb. 10. It said they were released hours later but have suffered from having been mentioned in the investigation.
Nanos’ office declined to comment on the notice of claim, a necessary precursor to filing a lawsuit against government entities.
Associated Press writer Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.
FILE - People visit a banner for Nancy Guthrie, the missing mother of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie, outside the KVOA Newsroom in Tucson, Ariz., on March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Noble, File)
FILE - A collection of yellow flowers and notes sit at the home of Nancy Guthrie, the missing mother of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie, in Tucson, Ariz., March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Noble, File)
FILE - Savannah Guthrie visits the Today show at Rockefeller Plaza in New York, March 5, 2026. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
