Colombian player Luis Daz has appealed for his father’s release after he was kidnapped at gunpoint last month.
“Every second, every minute, our anxiety grows,” the Liverpool player, 26, wrote in a statement on Sunday.”My mother along with my brothers and I are concerned and anxious. Unsure which route to go.” We’ll improve things by returning the boy home.”
DAZ lifted his shirt to display the words “freedom for papa” in Spanish after scoring for his club at Luton on Sunday afternoon.
On October 28, the player’s parents were kidnapped by leftwing rebels of the National Liberation Army (ELN) in their hometown of Barrancas.
His mother was discovered, but his father is still missing.
In addition to the other things, he expressed gratitude to “the Colombians and the international community for the help which has been offered, as well as the] numerous demonstrations of solidarity and care in this moment of great difficulty”.
DAZ’s parents were caught on CCTV driving while being followed by men on motorcycles on the day of the kidnapping. The shooters approached the couple as they were parked at a gas station in Barrancas, La Guajira. As police drew in, Daz’s mother was abandoned in a car, but his father was carried away.
Colombian officials blamed the ELN for the kidnapping early Thursday. The interior minister, Luis Fernando Velasco, called the situation “very serious” and a violation of the rebel-government peace pact.
Last year, the Colombian government and the ELN resumed peace talks to resolve the 60-year conflict, which has killed at least 450,000 people.
