The National Liberation Army has confirmed that Liverpool star Luis Diaz’s father, who was kidnapped along with his wife, will soon be released by the ELN guerrilla group.
The South American ace’s parents were allegedly abducted at gunpoint while refuelling their truck in Barrancas.
The winger has missed the last two games for the Reds. Diogo Jota showed support for his teammate by holding up Diaz’s jersey after scoring a goal during the club’s 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Diaz’s mother was quickly located and rescued, but his father remained missing, causing the player to miss Liverpool’s EFL Cup fourth-round victory over Bournemouth.
A large-scale military search was initiated to find his father, with concerns that he might have been taken to Venezuela. A reward of approximately £40,000 was offered for any information leading to his rescue.
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The ELN guerrilla group was identified as responsible for the kidnapping, leading the Colombian government to initiate negotiations with this classified terrorist organization by the European Union. Due to safety concerns, Diaz was advised not to return to South America.
However, the group has now released a statement to El Colombiano, indicating their intent to initiate the process to release the footballer’s father soon. The statement read:
“The Northern War Front has commands with economic missions and one of them carries out a privation of freedom, which, after being reported and verified that it is 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.”
Before the guerrilla group’s announcement, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp mentioned that Diaz had participated in training sessions in preparation for the Premier League match against Luton Town on Sunday.
However, the decision on whether the 26-year-old winger is prepared to resume first-team action will ultimately be left to him.
