Drama about Luis Diaz from Liverpool FC: What’s behind his father’s kidnapping

Luis Diaz’s nightmare continues. The Colombian left winger scored the 1-1 equalizer in the Premier League game against Luton Town after coming on as a substitute, but that is unlikely to free him from his worries about his father. Mane Diaz was kidnapped a week and a half ago by the left-wing guerrilla movement ELN (Ejército de Liberación Nacional) from a gas station in the north of the country, near the family’s hometown. The kidnappers also took the mother into their power, but she was quickly freed by security forces. Now Diaz, his relatives and the entire country are worried about the father of the country’s best footballer.

The 26-year-old has no choice but to appeal to the kidnappers to release his father. After the goal against Luton, he pulled up his jersey and showed the words “Freedom for Dad”. At the same time, the national player published a moving statement on Instagram. “Today it is not the footballer who speaks to you. Today Lucho Diaz, the son of Luis Manuel Diaz, speaks to you. Mane, my father, is a tireless worker, a pillar of the family, and he has been kidnapped. I ask the ELN for the “My father’s immediate release and I ask international organizations to work together for his freedom.”

Kidnapping is an industry of its own

The text continues: “With every second, with every minute our fear grows greater. My mother, my brothers and I are desperate, scared and have no words to describe what we feel. This suffering is only coming to an end when we have him back home. I ask you to release him immediately, respect his integrity and end this painful wait as soon as possible.”

The kidnapping of Diaz’s father is not unusual in the country. A civil war raged in Colombia for a long time and is still not completely pacified. Right-wing paramilitaries, left-wing guerrilla movements, criminal gangs, but also the police and army were involved in the brutal fighting. Rampant poverty does its part to make Colombia one of the most dangerous regions on the planet.

Kidnapping was and has always been an integral part of excessive conflicts as a means of pressure and financing method. The country’s best-known rebel group, the left-wing FARC, has admitted to kidnapping a total of 21,000 people while it was active. In 2016, the government concluded a peace agreement with the FARC, but numerous splinter groups and other movements still exist, such as the ELN, which is said to have around 3,000 fighters.

The kidnappers underestimated solidarity

But the ELN may have gone a step too far with this act. Diaz is extremely popular and is currently Colombia’s biggest football idol. The late-discovered talent comes from the Wayuu indigenous minority, who mainly live in the north of the country. The government only announced last week that the ELN was behind the crime. An audio recording later emerged in which a leading representative confirmed the ELN’s involvement and promised to release “Mr. Díaz’s father” “as quickly as possible.”

After all, he is a “relative of the great athlete that all Colombians love,” the statement continued. The ELN subgroup even claimed to have accidentally kidnapped Díaz Sr. and his identity was not known. “Luis is a symbol of Colombia – and that’s how the ELN feels,” added Antonio García from the guerrilla group’s high command. He even described the kidnapping as a “mistake.”

At least the hopeful words suggest that the ELN may have underestimated the wave of solidarity. Demonstrations calling for the release of Mane Diaz have taken place almost daily over the past week. “Libérenlo ya” (release him immediately) could be read everywhere on banners, bed sheets and house walls. Even President Gustavo Petro intervened: “The ELN has committed an act that runs counter to the peace process,” he said. “You are responsible for the life of Luis Díaz’s father.

For Luis Diaz, the uncertainty continues

However, it is questionable whether the release will actually take place soon. The ELN agreed to a ceasefire with the government in August this year and may use the high-profile kidnap victim as a bargaining chip in peace negotiations. What makes the situation even more difficult is that the guerrillas are organized decentrally and the individual groups are characterized by a great deal of autonomy. So when a senior commander like Garcia calls the kidnapping a “mistake,” that doesn’t necessarily mean that the unit that committed the kidnapping feels the same way.

For Diaz, this means that the unbearable uncertainty about his father’s fate continues. “We wanted to give Lucho – and he wanted it too – the opportunity to distract himself a little from the other things,” said Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp after the game against Luton. “He can’t do nothing, he’s waiting all the time, the whole family is waiting all the time.” The signs from Colombia are “rather positive,” said Klopp, “but what we all want to hear has not happened yet.”

Sources: DPA,”Southgerman newspaper“, “Mirror“, “t online“