Liverpool FC will have to do without Luis Diaz for today’s league match against Nottingham Forest. Around the parents of the Colombian played a kidnapping drama.
For Liverpool professional Luis Diaz, this Sunday’s Premier League home match against Nottingham Forest has taken a back seat. On Saturday, the Colombian international’s parents had been kidnapped.
According to Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, the police had first rescued Luis Diaz’s mother in her hometown of Barrancas in the north of the country in a rescue operation at the highest state level. The father is already searched for several hours with a large contingent. In the meantime, a reward of up to 200 million pesos (about 46,000 euros) has been offered for clues that contribute to his rescue.
Klopp: “I have never experienced anything like this before “
It was all too understandable that Luis Diaz, who was in direct contact with police chief William Salamanca, was not part of Jürgen Klopp’s matchday squad against Nottingham. After Liverpool FC had initially only announced in the morning that they were “informed about the current situation of Luis Diaz’s family in Colombia” and hoped for a “quickest possible” resolution of the matter, the coach spoke about the drama less than an hour before kick-off.
“We had to make a late change because of the private situation of Luis Diaz. It’s a worrying situation for all of us,” Klopp said after “a pretty tough night.” “I’ve never experienced anything like this before. It’s a new experience that I’ve never needed.”
Luis Diaz, who has had a remarkable journey as a footballer, had moved to Liverpool from FC Porto in January 2022 for an initial fee of around 45 million euros. Since then, the 26-year-old left winger has played 58 competitive games for the Reds and scored 14 goals. This season, he has been in Klopp’s starting eleven on eight of the nine Premier League matchdays so far (two goals). Against Nottingham, Darwin moved into the forward line around Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota.
