Liverpool star begs for father’s release after scoring crucial goal
Posted 9m ago
9 minutes ago
, updated 3m ago
3 minutes ago
Luis DĂaz scored a 95th-minute equaliser at Kenilworth Road.(Getty Images: Liverpool FC/Andrew Powell)
Liverpool striker Luis DĂaz has made an emotional plea for his father to be released following his kidnapping in Colombia.
DĂaz’s parents were both seized at gunpoint from his hometown of Barrancas by guerillas from the National Liberation Army (ELN) on October 28.
The 26-year-old Colombian international’s mother, Cilenis Marulanda was found, but his father Luis Manuel DĂaz, is still missing.
DĂaz came off the bench to score an injury-time equaliser in Liverpool’s 1-1 draw against Luton in the Premier League, lifting his jersey to reveal a message that said “LIBERTAD PARA PAPA”, freedom for Papa.
He then released a statement begging for his father’s “prompt release”.
“Today the footballer is not speaking to you, today Lucho DĂaz, the son of Luis Manuel DĂaz, is speaking to you,” he wrote.
“My dad is a tireless worker, our pillar in the family and he is kidnapped.
“Every second, every minute, our anguish grows. My mother, my brothers and I are desperate, distressed and without words to describe what we are feeling.
“This suffering will only end when we have him back home.
“I beg you to release him immediately, respecting his integrity and ending this painful wait as soon as possible.
“In the name of love and compassion, we ask that you reconsider your actions and allow us to recover him.”
Jurgen Klopp said during the week that he would let DĂaz decide for himself when he was ready to play again.
ďżźDiogo Jota showed his support in Liverpool’s 3-0 victory last week. (Getty Images: Offside/Daniel Chesterton)
DĂaz was absent from Liverpool’s match against Nottingham Forest last Sunday, but his teammates expressed their solidarity with the Colombian by holding up one of his jerseys on the pitch after scoring the team’s first goal in their 3-0 victory.
The BBC reports that ELN is Colombia’s main remaining active guerrilla group.
The group has been fighting the state since 1964 and has an roughly 2,500 members.
AP reported that Colombian special forces have been searching for DĂaz’s father in the heavily forested mountain range that straddles both Colombia and Venezuela, which is where the ELN is based.
Police also offered a $US48,000 ($73,800)Â reward for information leading to him being found.
It has been reported that the ELN said DĂaz’s father would be released in the coming days.
“I thank the Colombians and the international community for the support received,” DĂaz wrote in his statement.
“Thank you for so many demonstrations of love and solidarity in this difficult time that many families in my country find themselves living.”
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