Luis Diaz proudly displayed a sensational message for his kidnapped father after scoring a late equalizer for Liverpool.
In his first match since his parents were kidnapped in Colombia, Luis Diaz came off the bench and scored a stoppage-time goal against Luton to secure a draw for Liverpool on Sunday, November 5.
Although his mother was rescued shortly after the abduction in Barrancas, near the Venezuelan border, authorities are still searching for his father, Luis Manuel Diaz, whom they believe was kidnapped by ELN guerrilla warriors.
This incident has raised concerns about the impact of the on ongoing peace negotiations between the rebel group and Columbia President Gustavo Petro, as Diaz’s father is being held by the ELN’s Northern War Front unit, posing a significant threat to the ceasefire in place.
Diaz’s father continues to be missing, and the forward revealed a message tagged “freedom for Papa” by lifting his shirt after scoring a goal from Harvey Elliott’s cross five minutes into added time against Luton Town on Sunday, November 5.
In a subsequent statement, he urged the captors to release his father “immediately”
Luis Díaz official statement: “Here’s not the player speaking. Today’s Lucho Díaz, the son of Luís Manuel Díaz. Mane, my dad, hard-working man, family pillar… he’s now kidnapped”.
“I ask ELN to release my father as soon as possible. I also ask the international associations to work on that to guarantee his freedom”.
The Liverpool winger expressed his gratitude towards the Columbian government for their efforts in the search, while also mentioning the troubles the incident has caused his family.
He added: “Every second, every minute we’re more worried. We’ve no words to describe our family’s terrible feelings, and it will be the same as long as he’s not back at home”.
“I beg you to release my father right now, respecting his integrity”.
“I want to thank all Colombians and also the international community for your support”.
ELN rebel group promised to release Luis Diaz’s father
According to report, the leader of Colombia’s ELN rebel group has admitted on Saturday, November 4, that the organization was responsible for abducting the father of Liverpool footballer Luis Diaz.
He referred to it as a “mistake” and promised to work towards securing his release.
In addition, local media reported that a faction of the rebels clarified that they had mistakenly taken Diaz’s father for ransom without realizing his connection to the national football star.
According to the report of Columbia Journalist Juan Carlos Cuellar, a representative for ELN has informed the government of his imminent release even though there is doubt surrounding the claim.
ELN Guerrilla group
The ELN is currently the primary active guerrilla group in Colombia, with approximately 2,500 members. Since 1964, they have been engaging in a conflict with the Columbia government.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the number of individuals detained by illegal groups in Colombia has significantly risen this year.
In the first nine months alone, over 240 people were captured, marking a 70 percent increase compared to the same period in the previous year.
These illegal groups, including the ELN, which emerged as a leftist ideological movement in 1964 before turning to criminal activities such as kidnapping, extortion, violent attacks, and drug trafficking, have taken advantage of the situation and continue to raise funds through ransom money.
Throughout the years, more than 38,000 individuals have fallen victim to kidnapping in Colombia.
What’s next?
Following the claim of ELN, Luiz Diaz’s father is likely to be released in the coming days.
And for Liverpool, the Reds are set to face Toulouse next in the Europa League on Thursday, November 9.
