Liverpool’s Colombian winger, Luis Diaz, has pleaded with his father’s kidnappers to release him, saying he and his brothers are “desperate”.
The 26-year-old’s parents were abducted by armed men on motorcycles at a petrol station in the town of Barrancas, near Colombia’s border with Venezuela, last Saturday.
His mother, Cilenis Marulanda, was rescued within hours by police after roadblocks were set up – but the search continues for his father, Luis Manuel Diaz.
Colombia’s government has blamed guerrilla group the National Liberation Army (ELN) for the kidnapping. A representative for the rebels said on Thursday that Diaz’s father would be released “as soon as possible”.
In a statement released on Sunday – after Diaz scored an equaliser for Liverpool against Luton in the Premier League – he asked the ELN for the “prompt release of my father”.
He also called on “international organisations to intervene for his freedom”.
The player said: “Every second, every minute our anguish grows; my mother, my brothers and I are desperate, anguished and without words to describe what we are feeling.
“This suffering will only end when we have him back home.”
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He added: “I beg you to release him immediately, respecting his integrity and ending this painful wait as soon as possible.
“In the name of love and compassion, we ask you to reconsider your actions and allow us to get him back.”
Diaz described his father as a “tireless worker, our pillar in the family”.
He commented: “I thank Colombians and the international community for the support we’ve received, thank you for so many demonstrations of affection and solidarity in this difficult moment that many families in my country are going through.”
Diaz was back in training on Friday, before coming off the bench to save Liverpool from a shock defeat at Luton, claiming a stoppage-time equaliser to snatch a 1-1 draw.
He lifted his shirt in celebration to reveal a message on a white T-shirt that read “libertad para papa” or “freedom for my father”.