Dad of Reds striker Diaz had no sleep while held hostage

Luis Manuel Diaz

Between tears, Luis Manuel Diaz, father of Liverpool striker Luis Diaz, on Friday how he was made to walk "too much" with little sleep in the nearly two weeks he was held hostage in a mountainous area of Colombia by members of the ELN guerrilla group.

Also Read: Spurs stunned in dying minutes

Diaz, liberated Thursday after calls from around the world for his freedom, told reporters at his home in the country's north he went through a "very difficult" time, surviving "almost 12 days without sleep." Diaz's wife Cilenis Marulanda, who was taken by the same ELN kidnappers on October 28 but was rescued hours later.

Diaz walked with obvious difficulty as he arrived for the press conference, and had to be helped up from his chair afterwards and led away.

He told reporters he was not maltreated by his captors. "I had to walk too much, up and down many mountains, trying to stay safe so that... I could return home," said the 56-year-old, who is no stranger to the mountainous region he has explored since a child. But "this was a different story," he said Friday.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever