Jurgen Klopp and Diogo Jota address the Luis Diaz tribute after Nottingham Forest’s victory.
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Jota and his Liverpool colleagues honored Diaz by wearing shirts with his number and name on them.
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After his parents were kidnapped, Diaz was kept out of the Nottingham Forest matchday squad.
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The father is still gone, but the mother has been found.
After Diogo Jota and his Liverpool teammates honored Luis Diaz by raising his shirt in the air after the Colombian scored the game’s first goal in a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, Jota declared, “We are here” for Diaz.
National officials have verified that gunmen riding motorbikes abducted Diaz’s parents. His father is still gone, but his mother has been found.
The former Porto winger was left out of the Liverpool team that played Forest on Sunday. However, after Jota scored the game’s opening goal, Jurgen Klopp presented Jota with a shirt that had his name and number on it.
“It’s a situation we can’t even imagine if we [have not] gone through that same situation,” Jota said to the media representing Liverpool’s club. All we can say is that we are here for him and that we hope everything turns out okay in the end.
Klopp went on, “That’s true, but how can a football match be particularly significant on a day like today? It’s quite challenging. That was never a problem for me in my life. It served as both my hiding place and my constant haven. You are permitted to concentrate on something for the full ninety minutes as a coach or player, but it was not possible. That is just not doable at all.
“It was clear that fighting for Lucho provided the additional sense that the game needed. When the boys took off the shirt, I have to admit that I wasn’t quite prepared for that. It was very touching and incredible. So, I believe that’s everything.
Referee Francois Letexier stated at a press conference that “a crisis meeting took place, which allowed us to take into account the opinions of the relevant parties following injuries to members of Lyon’s staff.”
“OL was against the tie happening. It was decided not to start the match after considering the league’s process as well as OL’s decision. It is not going to happen. The choice has already been made. The relevant authorities will decide what comes next.”
In the immediate wake, authorities on both sides were incensed.
“No [we didn’t ask to cancel the match],” Lyon owner John Textor insisted to Prime Video Sport, demonstrating the team’s continued desire to participate. Not too long afterward, we held a team meeting. It was determined by our squad to play. They were prepared to play and desired to play. I applaud the captain greatly for his desire to do that. It was decided without consulting us. Our desire was to play football. We’re irate.”
Pablo Longoria, president of Marseille, continued, “It’s not acceptable. I genuinely believe that what transpired with Fabio Grosso must be stopped; it is intolerable. It is an occurrence that is not possible in football. Simply put, they are careless fools. It infuriates me to ruin a party for 65,000 people in a stadium due to carelessness. particularly since it is inappropriate for both society and football.”
The Competitions Commission of Ligue 1 will decide when to reschedule the match.
Thus far, the seasons for the two French titans have not been easy. Marseille is in tenth position, eight points behind third-place Monaco, while Lyon is down in twenty, having failed to win a league game. After 10 games, Nice leads PSG by one point. On Sunday, Paris Saint-Germain defeated Brest 3-2 with a late goal.