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The National Liberation Army stated in a statement that the father of Liverpool and Colombia attacker Luis Diaz will be released soon by the ELN rebel organisation that kidnapped him and his wife.
Diaz’s parents were allegedly kidnapped while refuelling their truck in Barrancas last weekend, and the winger has not played in either of his team’s previous two games.
The heartbreaking news broke on the morning of Liverpool’s 3-0 triumph over Nottingham Forest, in which Diogo Jota held up Diaz’s jersey in solidarity with his friend after scoring.
Diaz’s mother was quickly discovered safe and rescued, but his father remained missing, causing Diaz to miss Wednesday’s 2-1 EFL Cup fourth-round win against Bournemouth.
A large military hunt was launched to find Diaz’s father, who authorities suspected had been taken to Venezuela, and a £40,000 reward was offered for any information leading to his rescue.
The rebel group ELN was quickly recognized as the perpetrators, and the Colombian government launched negotiations with the group, which the European Union has designated as a terrorist organization.
Diaz was urged not to return to South America for fear of his safety, but a statement from the group has now been given to El Colombiano, indicating that the process to free Diaz’s father will begin soon.
“We pay tribute to Colombia and the Caribbean.” We stand in solidarity with the families suffering from unemployment, paramilitarism’s criminal violence, and the State’s desertion. “The main threat to regional stability is the corruption of political clans,” according to the statement.
“The Northern War Front has commands with economic missions, and one of them carries out a deprivation of freedom that, after being reported and verified to be the priest of Lucho Diaz, is guided by his release because he is a family member of the great sportsman that we all love as Colombians.”
“The release process begins at that point, and we want to avoid any incident.” Firm in the pursuit of peaceful paths, with the essential transformations for the country. “I come from the Caribbean.”
Prior to the group’s announcement, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said that Diaz has been training ahead of Sunday’s Premier League match against Luton Town, but the 26-year-old would have to determine whether he is ready to return to competitive action.
Diaz has appeared in 58 games for Liverpool since joining from Porto in a £40.8 million transfer in January 2022, scoring 14 goals and assisting nine others while winning the EFL Cup, FA Cup, and Community Shield.
In addition, the winger has nine goals from 43 senior games for Colombia, which he represented at the Copa America in 2019 and 2021.
