Colombian army searches for Liverpool winger Diaz's kidnapped father

More than 120 Colombian soldiers backed by police searched Sunday for the father of Liverpool winger Luis Diaz, kidnapped with his wife, who has since been rescued.

The army said in a statement it had set up roadblocks and deployed two motorized platoons, unmanned aircraft, helicopters and a plane with radar in the search for Luis Manuel Diaz.

Colombian authorities did not provide details about the kidnapping, but media reported the footballer's father and mother Cilenis Marulanda were taken Saturday by armed men on motorcycles at a gas station in their home town of Barrancas in the northern La Guajira department.

President Gustavo Petro said Marulanda was rescued in Barrancas hours after the couple was taken.

Attorney General Francisco Barbosa told a press conference Sunday that Diaz "could be" in Venezuela, without elaborating.

The motive for the kidnapping has not been divulged.

"We are desperate, we are distressed, we know nothing about him," Olmer Diaz, the kidnapped man's brother, told AFP in Barrancas, urging his "prompt release."

Colombia is a country just emerging from decades of civil conflict between rival armed groups that has seen more than 38 000 people kidnapped over the years, mostly for ransom.

Petro, at an event to mark the start of local elections in Bogota, said "all the public forces have been deployed" to find Diaz's father.

Luis Manuel Diaz was an amateur coach at the only football school in Barrancas, a town of about 38 000 inhabitants near the Venezuelan border, where his son showed promise from a very young age.

His father is credited with aiding the meteoric rise of the Liverpool and Colombia striker known as "Lucho."

'WORRYING SITUATION'

Diaz, a 26-year-old Wayuu Indigenous man, has not spoken out about the events.

In his Colombian hometown, resident Leonardo Diaz, 41 (no relation), told AFP he was "sad and dismayed" by the kidnapping of a man he described as "a humble person of the people."

The footballer's Liverpool teammate, Portugal's Diogo Jota, dedicated his goal in a Premier League clash Sunday against Nottingham Forest to Diaz, who did not play.

In celebration, Jota ran to manager Jurgen Klopp, who handed him Diaz's shirt, which he held aloft to applause from Liverpool fans.

.@DiogoJota18 reflected on our 3-0 defeat of Nottingham Forest and his message to Luis Diaz after Sunday’s match at Anfield ❤️

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 29, 2023

Colombian police have offered a reward equivalent to about $48 000 for information that leads them to Diaz and his captors.

Liverpool FC issued a statement Sunday saying it was "aware of an ongoing situation involving the family of Luis Diaz" 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," it said.

Manager Klopp described it as a "worrying situation for all of us."

"We had to obviously make a late change because of the private situation involving Luis Diaz," he said ahead of Sunday's match.

Liverpool Football Club can confirm it is aware of an ongoing situation involving the family of Luis Diaz in Colombia.

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 29, 2023

"It was a pretty tough night. I have never had that before. It's a new experience I never needed."

Diaz is the first Indigenous Colombian to make it to the top echelons of world football.

He has played for his country 43 times and arrived at Liverpool last year from Portuguese club Porto.

He has played 11 games with Liverpool and scored three goals.