sport news Luis Diaz's father expected to be released TODAY after humanitarian ... trends now
Luis Diaz's father could reportedly be released today after his kidnappers contacted humanitarian organisations to begin the handover process.
Luis Manuel Diaz was abducted at gunpoint along with his wife on October 28 by the Colombian left-wing guerrilla group Ejercito de Liberation Nacional (ELN).
Reports by Noticias Caracol on Wednesday said the ELN made contact with representatives of organisations including the United Nations and the Catholic Church to set the conditions for his release.
The UN and the Church have been working in conjunction with the Colombian government to negotiate Diaz's freedom.
The news outlet said the release would take place in the La Guajira area, close to the Colombian-Venezuelan border.
Luis Manuel Diaz, the father of Liverpool forward Luis Diaz, could reportedly be released on Wednesday after his captors contacted humanitarian organisations
Luis Manuel (right) has been missing since October 28 when he was abducted by gunmen from the Colombian left-wing guerrilla group Ejercito de Liberation Nacional (ELN)
The National Liberation Army - abbreviated as ELN in Spanish - is a leftist anti-government group made up of over 2,000 fighters and militants based in the Colombian countryside
The ELN announced their intention to free Luis Manuel Diaz, describing the kidnapping as a 'mistake', but have demanded the withdrawal of military personnel who have led the search for the Liverpool star's father from the area first.
On Monday, Colombian news outlet Semana had reported that police had begun 'preparations for the release' of Mr Diaz after he had been held by the guerrilla group for over a week.
Members of the police and other special forces had been searching for the Liverpool star's father since October 28.
His father and mother, Cilenis Marulanda, were, according to local reports, abducted from the town of Barrancas in La Guajira, Colombia by the group, before the ELN, who are considered a terrorist organisation by the United States and European Union, fled the scene.
On Sunday October 30, it emerged that Diaz's mother had been rescued after she was left in a car by the guerrilla group, with members of the ELN keeping his father as a captive.
His mother made her first appearance since the kidnapping earlier this week, demanding that the abductors release her partner safely before leading hundreds on a march in their home town.
Reports from Semana on Friday had claimed that Diaz's father would be freed that day, but his release did not materialise.
The Liverpool star's mother (above in 2019, left centre) has been rescued after the pair were snatched off the streets of Colombia last week, but his father's whereabouts are still unknown
Diaz lifted up his Liverpool shirt yesterday, in his first game since the kidnapping, to release a message that said in Spanish: 'Freedom for Papa'
Diaz came off the bench to salvage a 1-1 draw for Liverpool in stoppage time against Luton
The guerrilla group holding Luis Diaz's father have vowed to 'keep their word' by freeing him
Juan Carlos Cuellar, a representative of the group, stated in a community meeting that Diaz senior would be 'released as soon as possible'.
Diaz was informed of his parents' kidnapping on eve of Liverpool's Premier League fixture against Nottingham Forest on October 30.
The forward didn't participate in that game or the Reds' 2-1 win over Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup the following Wednesday.
But Diaz had returned to training and then came off the bench to score a 95th-minute equaliser against Luton Town
