Luis Díaz’s parents were kidnapped over the weekend on Saturday, October 28, with a major police and military search reported in Colombia. Authorities are also offering a monetary reward of 200 million Colombian pesos (a little under fifty thousand US dollars) for information on his father’s whereabouts.
Díaz’s mother, who was also kidnapped with his father, was rescued on Sunday, October 29.
The Liverpool and Colombian National team forward’s parents, Luis Manuel Díaz and Cilenis Marulanda were kidnapped together on Saturday in the neighborhood of Los Olivos, Barrancas, in La Guajira where the player was originally born and his parents still reside. Semana reported men in motorcycles intercepted their vehicle on their way to Los Olivos.
Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, said in Spanish: “In an operation in Barrancas, Luis Díaz’s mother has been rescued, we continue the search for the father.”
The star player, who had a game on Sunday but understandably didn’t play, chose not to travel to Colombia to be with his family over security concerns and to not deviate the attention from his father’s rescue.
Liverpool went on to win 3-0 against Nottingham Forest. Teammate Diogo Jota dedicated the first goal of the game to Díaz, with the team posting the video and a tribute to Díaz on their Instagram.
The team also released a statement on Sunday morning that read: “Liverpool Football Club can confirm it is aware of an ongoing situation involving the family of Luis Díaz in Colombia. It is our fervent hope that the matter is resolved safely and at the earliest possible opportunity. In the meantime, the player’s welfare will continue to be our immediate priority.”
The Colombian Federation also released a statement, that read: “From the FCF we express our solidarity with him and his entire family and we call for the relevant authorities to act as quickly as possible to resolve the situation.”