On October 28, Luis Diaz’s father was kidnapped in Colombia by the ELN rebel group. This same organization issued a statement Monday morning promising his release, while accusing the Colombian government of complicating operations. Statements in line with the last press release dating from November 2: “On November 2, we informed the country of the decision to release Mr. Luis Manuel Díaz, father of the player Luis Díaz,” the press release announced. “From this date, we have taken steps to achieve this as quickly as possible. We are making efforts to avoid incidents with government forces.”
The rebel group also complained about actions taken by the Colombian government: “The area is still militarized, they are carrying out flyovers, troops are landing, they are broadcasting and offering rewards in an intense search operation . This situation does not allow the release plan to be carried out quickly and safely, where Luis Manuel Díaz does not run any risk. If operations continue in the area, they will delay the release and increase the risks. Information which must have reassured Luis Diaz, scorer this weekend with Liverpool. He also took the opportunity to request the release of his father.