Parents of Liverpool winger Luis Diaz kidnapped
According to reports in Colombia, the parents of Liverpool winger Luis Diaz were kidnapped in the town of Barrancas on Saturday.
Worrying news emerged from Diaz’s native country in the late hours of Saturday, with claims his parents had been kidnapped.
Colombian outlet Semena was among those to first carry the story, which was later confirmed by authorities.
It is reported that Luis Manuel Diaz and Cilenis Marulanda were kidnapped after assailants commandeered the vehicle they were travelling in.
The kidnappers arrived on motorcycles, before taking control of the Diaz family’s van while they were travelling back to the neighbourhood of Los Olivos.
Police and military forces were urgently deployed to locate the player’s parents, with his mother, Cilenis Marulanda, subsequently rescued.
At time of writing Diaz’s father, Luis Manuel Diaz, was yet to be located, with the search for his kidnappers ongoing.
It is hugely distressing news which questions the safety of those families of high-profile footballers, and comes on the eve of regional elections across Colombia.
There is no indication as of yet whether or not Diaz will be involved in Liverpool vs. Nottingham Forest on Sunday afternoon.
However, it would certainly be understandable – and expected – that the 26-year-old would be granted compassionate leave.
The Premier League fixture is set to kick off at Anfield at 2pm (GMT), with Diaz having been likely to start.
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