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Luis Diaz releases statement pleading for the return of his kidnapped father.
After his father was kidnapped, Luis Diaz published a message begging the Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional, or National Liberation Army, to free him.
In recent times, armed gunmen abducted Diaz’s mother, Cilenis Marulanda, from Colombia; she was freed last weekend.
Authorities in Colombia, who acknowledged on Friday that they received intelligence indicating that “a unit belonging to the ELN“—a left-wing guerrilla organization that has been active in the nation since 1964—were the ones responsible for the kidnapping, have not yet located Diaz’s father.
During a neighborhood meeting, Reuters was able to obtain confirmation that Diaz’s father will be released “as soon as possible” from ELN representative Juan Carlos Cuellar.
After making his Liverpool comeback and scoring a goal that he dedicated to his father with the words “Freedom for Papa” on his undershirt, Diaz has published a statement begging the ELN to grant his father freedom:
“Here’s not the player speaking. Today’s Lucho Diaz, the son of Luis Manuel Diaz. 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 in order to guarantee his freedom.
“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 to all Colombians and also the international community for your support.”
On his comeback for Liverpool, Diaz scored a vital equalizer in the 95th minute by heading home a cross from Harvey Elliott at the back post to help the Reds escape with a draw from a difficult journey to Kenilworth Road.