In support of Luis Diaz, former Colombian international Juan Camilo Zuniga has urged for a suspension of football games while the search for the Liverpool star’s father is ongoing.
Over the weekend, armed assailants on motorcycles kidnapped Diaz’s parents from their village of Barrancas, close to the Venezuelan border, at a gas station.
Cilenis Marulanda, Diaz’s mother, has recently made a full recovery. But the hunt for Luis Manuel Diaz, the 26-year-old’s father, is still ongoing.
To assist in locating Diaz’s father, the Colombian special forces have been called upon, and air and ground patrols have been scouring the forested, hilly area straddling the borders of Venezuela and Colombia.
For any information that could aid in the search and rescue effort, authorities are offering a reward of about £40,000.
Jurgen Klopp, the manager of Liverpool, acknowledged that the game’s preparations had been “the most difficult I’ve ever had in my life,” which is why Diaz was left out of the team’s 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
In memory of his teammate, Diogo Jota, who scored the opening goal for the Reds in the game, raised a “Diaz 7) shirt, and the football community has shown overwhelming support.
Instagram posting, Zuniga, 37 years old, who played 71 times for Colombia between 2005 and 2015, published a letter that read as a “invitation” to players to halt their careers as long as Diaz’s father is unaccounted for.
“It was Luis Díaz’s turn today. God forbid, it might affect one of us tomorrow,” he remarked via El Pais.
“I’m inviting all of my coworkers so that we can show Lucho even more support. There is no brain to play with in a circumstance such as this, players. Guys, let’s play if we have to wait for Lucho’s dad to arrive.”
James Rodriguez, another well-known Colombian football player, also expressed support for his countryman on social media.
“We ask the captors of Luis Manuel Díaz, father of Luis Díaz, to release him now, without conditions, the former Real Madrid and Everton player tweeted. Peace is football. Colombia is with you, Lucho, and so are we.
“We agree, Luchito. “There are things much more important than a football match, please. What society are we living in?”
According to reports, Diaz’s family convinced him to stay in England despite security concerns as they continue to look for his father.