Colombian guerilla group promises to release father of Liverpool winger Luis Diaz

The winger's parents were kidnapped last weekend

Protestors in Diaz's hometown of Barrancas call for the release of his father Mane
Author: Carl Markham, PAPublished 5th Nov 2023

Colombian guerrilla group the National Liberation Army insists it will release Liverpool winger Luis Diaz's kidnapped father as it wants "to avoid any incident".

A statement from the ELN to newspaper El Colombiano claimed the Northern Front of the group was behind last weekend's snatching of both Diaz's parents - his mother was quickly freed - and was done for primarily monetary reasons.

However, the leadership said the release process had begun.

"The Northern War Front has commandos with economic missions and one of them carried out a deprivation of liberty, which when it was reported and verified that it was Lucho Diaz's father, his release was directed because he was a relative of the great athlete that we all love as Colombians," said the statement, signed by commander Jose Manuel Martinez Quiroz of the ELN's Northern War Front.

"From now on the release process begins and we want to avoid any incident."

Diaz returned to training this week but Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said he would leave it up to the player as to whether he wanted to be involved in Sunday's game at Luton.

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