Francisco Barbosa claims that Luis Manuel Diaz, the father of Liverpool striker Luis Diaz, may have been transported to Venezuela via crossing the Colombian border.
The press was informed by the attorney general (via The Mirror), “We have information that he could, at some point, be in Venezuela. If he ends up crossing the border and he’s in Venezuela, we have to ask [Colombia] President Gustavo Petro … to help us with freeing Luis Diaz’s father.”
This follows the terrifying event in which Diaz’s parents were abducted while travelling to their Barrancas, California, home. To track down the offenders, the military and police have mobilised to full capacity.
Cilenis Marulanda, the mother of the Liverpool player, was freed soon after the event. It is thought that she is uninjured. The location of Diaz’s father is still a mystery, though.
The Colombian Football Federation asked the abductors to free the victim in a statement. The statement read, “We ask the captors of Luis Manuel Diaz, father of Luis F. Diaz, to release him immediately, without conditions. Football is peace. Luis, we are with you. Colombia is with you.”
In the Reds’ 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, Diaz was supposed to start, but he was ultimately left off the roster. According to manager Jurgen Klopp, the circumstances are challenging for every member of the team.
During a press conference, he stated, “We had to obviously make a late change because of the private situation involving Luis Diaz. It’s a worrying situation for all of us and it was a pretty tough night. I have never had that before. It’s a new experience I never needed.”
“I showed him his shirt to show we’re with him” : Diogo Jota
After Liverpool defeated Nottingham Forest 3-0 after Diogo Jota scored the game’s first goal, the attacker honoured Luis Diaz. After the match, the Portugal international spoke with his teammate, whose parents were abducted in Colombia, and gave his support.
During the press conference, he stated, “Luis was with us in the hotel then he went home. It’s a very hard situation and I don’t know how anyone would react if it happened to you. He was going to play. I played instead of him and I showed him his shirt to show we’re with him and we hope everything works out. It’s unimaginable to think a situation like this could happen. We can just support him and show him we’re with him.”
