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Liverpool were fighting for their “brother” Luis Díaz in the team’s 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League at Anfield on Sunday, manager Jurgen Klopp said, as authorities in Colombia search for Diaz’s kidnapped father.
Kidnappers tried to seize both of Díaz’s parents near their home in Colombia on Saturday but his mother, Cilenis Marulanda, was rescued, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said. Authorities are trying to rescue Diaz’s father.
The forward was absent from Liverpool’s squad against Nottingham Forest following the incident.
Klopp told reporters that the Colombia international wanted to go home but he did not say if he would.
“I don’t want to make the game bigger than it was but it was definitely, we tried to help Lucho [Luis Díaz] with the fight we put in,” Klopp said.
“Obviously, we want to help but we cannot really help so the only thing we can do is fight for him and that’s what the boys did.
The Liverpool boss added that his team fought for their “brother” in the difficult circumstances.
“The best thing we could do is win the game for our brother,” Klopp told reporters. “We played the game in the most difficult circumstances I’ve ever had. After more than 1,000 games [as a manager] you would think you’ve experienced everything.
“But it’s not about us. We all pray that everything will be fine. The only thing we could do is fight for our brother and that’s what they [the players] did. The boys fought for their brother.
“How can you make a football game really important on a day like this? It’s really difficult. I never struggled with that in my life. It was always my safe place, sometimes my hiding point as a player or as a coach. You are allowed, during these 90-odd minutes, to focus just on that.
Liverpool forward Diogo Jota held up Díaz’s No. 7 shirt to show support for him after scoring the first goal of the match as Klopp’s team stayed fourth in the table with 23 points from 10 games.
In an interview with the BBC after the match, Jota said that he held up Díaz’s shirt “to show we’re with him” in an “unimaginable situation.”
“Luis was with us in the hotel [before the game] then he went home,” Jota said.
“He was going to play. I played instead of him and I showed him his shirt to show we’re with him and we hope everything works out.”
Colombia’s all-time top scorer Radamel Falcao expressed his solidarity with his compatriot as the search for Díaz’s father continues.
“We are with you Luis,” Falcao posted on his Instagram account.
The Colombia Football Federation has appealed to the kidnappers to release the father of the 43-time international.
“We ask the captors of Luis Manuel Díaz, father of Luis Fernando Díaz, to release him now, without conditions,” the Colombian FA posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Football is peace. Lucho, we are with you. Colombia is with you.”
The Colombian police have announced a reward of 200 million Colombian pesos ($48,300) for information leading to the rescue of Díaz’s father.
Information from ESPN’s Adriana Garcia contributed to this report