Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp revealed that his team was playing for Luis Diaz in their 3-0 Premier League victory over Nottingham Forest at Anfield on Sunday. This came as the news of the kidnapping attempt on Diaz’s parents emerged.
Kidnappers targeted Diaz’s parents near their home in Colombia on Saturday, with his mother, Cilenis Marulanda, being rescued, according to Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Authorities in Colombia are making efforts to secure the release of Diaz’s father.
Luis Diaz was absent from Liverpool’s squad in light of the harrowing incident, with Klopp mentioning that the Colombian international expressed a desire to return home.
“I don’t want to make the game bigger than it was, but it was definitely, we tried to help Lucho with the fight we put in,” Klopp said, using Diaz’s nickname. “Obviously, we want to help, but we cannot really help, so the only thing we can do is fight for him, and that’s what the boys did.”
During the match, Liverpool forward Diogo Jota displayed Diaz’s number seven shirt in a show of support after scoring the first goal. The win kept Liverpool in fourth place in the Premier League table with 23 points from 10 games.
The Colombian Football Federation has issued an appeal to the kidnappers to release Luis Diaz’s father. In a statement posted on social media, they said, “We ask the captors of Luis Manuel Diaz, father of Luis Fernando Diaz, to release him now, without conditions. Football is peace. Lucho, we are with you. Colombia is with you.”
The Colombian police have offered a reward of 200 million Colombian pesos (approximately $48,300) for information leading to the safe return of Diaz’s father.
The situation remains tense, and the football community stands in solidarity with Luis Diaz and his family during this difficult time.
