The father of Liverpool star Luis Diaz said he went “almost 12 days without sleep” and endured long horseback treks through mountain passes as he revealed the details of his kidnapping ordeal for the first time. Luis Manuel Diaz, 58, was released by the guerrilla group Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN) on Thursday, nearly two weeks after he was captured at gunpoint along with his wife near their hometown of Barrancas in northern Colombia. While Cilenis Marulanda was rescued by police within hours, Diaz Sr remained in the hands of his kidnappers and said he was told to remain calm. At a press conference in Barrancas, Diaz Sr said that although “the treatment was good, I didn’t feel very comfortable”. “It was a lot of horseback riding, really hard, a lot of mountains, a lot of rain, too many insects,” said an emotional and weary Diaz Sr, speaking alongside his family near the Colombia-Venezuela border. “I couldn’t sleep peacefully, it was very difficult, almost 12 days without sleep.” Despite the ordeal, Diaz Sr said he had no plans to move away from Barrancas and felt safe in Colombia. The father of the Liverpool forward said he did not understand why the ELN kidnapped him as he was not held to ransom. "My aspirations are to continue in my town because I have my entire family in my town," Diaz Sr said. "The government has given me impressively strong and great support. I trust and have faith that it will provide me security to be in Barrancas." Liverpool winger and Colombia international Diaz had made an emotional appeal for his father’s release after scoring a late equaliser for Liverpool in their 1-1 draw against Luton last weekend The 26-year-old marked the goal by revealing a T-shirt bearing a message in Spanish reading “Freedom for Dad’’ and then made a statement calling for his “prompt release”. Diaz Sr said he spoke to his son after he was safely released by the kidnappers on Thursday and Diaz told him he was “happy” to play in Liverpool’s Europa League match against Toulouse that afternoon. The Colombian police said it had arrested four suspects after investigating Diaz Sr’s kidnapping, while the head of the ELN has admitted it was a “mistake” to capture the Liverpool star’s father. Read More Jurgen Klopp reignites early kick-off row ahead of Man City vs Liverpool clash Mohamed Salah’s stunning Anfield record is making his brilliance appear normal Liverpool vs Brentford LIVE: Latest Premier League updates

Friends will become enemies this weekend, as Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez clash in an all-British bout at the O2 Arena. The unbeaten light-heavyweights will meet in a main-event contest in London, with each boxer aiming to move a step closer to a world-title fight – at the other’s expense. Thirty-year-old Buatsi (17-0, 13 knockouts) will enter the O2 on the back of a decision victory over Pawel Stepien in May, before Azeez, 34, outpointed Khalid Graidia in July to improve his record to 20-0 (13 KOs). “What’s at stake allows me to put [our friendship] aside,” Buatsi said in August. Azeez added: “I’m at war with a friend who’s in front of my dreams and aspirations. “I see an entertaining, brutal fight, ultimately with my hand being raised.” Here’s all you need to know. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is the fight? Buatsi vs Azeez will take place at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday 21 October. The main card is scheduled to begin at 8pm BST (12pm PT, 2pm CT, 3pm ET), with ring walks for the main event expected at around 10pm BST (2pm PT, 4pm CT, 5pm ET). How can I watch it? In the UK, the event will air live on Sky Sports for subscribers. It will also be available to stream on the broadcaster’s website and Sky Go app. No US broadcaster has yet been announced. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. Odds Buatsi – 30/100 Azeez – 13/5 Draw – 18/1 Full odds via Betway. • Get all the latest boxing betting sites’ offers Fight card (subject to change) Joshua Buatsi vs Dan Azeez (light-heavyweight) Louis Greene (C) vs Sam Gilley (Commonwealth super-welterweight title) Mikael Lawal (C) vs Isaac Chamberlain (British cruiserweight title) Karriss Artingstall vs Vanessa Bradford (women’s featherweight) Michael Hennessy Jr vs Joe Laws (super-welterweight) Read More How to watch Buatsi vs Azeez and what time does fight start? KSI vs Tommy Fury result changed after judging error Dillon Danis explains why he will appeal defeat by Logan Paul KSI vs Tommy Fury result changed after judging error Dillon Danis explains why he will appeal defeat by Logan Paul KSI vs Tommy Fury prize money: How much did the fighters earn?

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It remains business as usual for Harry Kane despite reports Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy held a meeting with Bayern Munich officials on Monday. Bayern remain intent on prising Kane away from Spurs and are expected to imminently lodge a new bid for the 30-year-old England captain, who is now into the final 12 months of his contract with the Premier League club. Levy is reported to have met with Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen and technical director Marco Neppe in London, while Kane trained with the rest of the Spurs squad to continue preparations ahead of Sunday’s pre-season friendly at home to Shakhtar Donetsk. The scrutiny surrounding Kane’s future does not show any signs of going away, with the German club public about their interest all summer. Bayern honorary president Uli Hoeness claimed last month personal terms had been agreed between Kane and the Bundesliga champions, while two bids for the forward were reportedly turned down in July. Spurs have offered Kane a new contract, which is a significant increase on his current £200,000-a-week terms, but no decision will be made on the new deal while speculation over his future continues, the PA news agency understands. Kane is not the only experienced Tottenham player with uncertainty hanging over them, with captain Hugo Lloris so far unable to secure a move away. The former France goalkeeper was allowed to remain at the club’s training ground in Enfield to “explore prospective transfer opportunities” while Ange Postecoglou’s team toured Perth, Bangkok and Singapore last month. However, 36-year-old Lloris is no closer to a departure from Spurs and one potential avenue has closed after Paris St Germain signed young Spanish goalkeeper Arnau Tenas on Sunday. Lloris was one of several members of Tottenham’s bloated squad expected to leave, but Giovani Lo Celso looks set to be thrown a chance to turnaround his career with the club. Lo Celso signed for Spurs in summer 2019 for £55million but, after playing under a string of managers, had spent the past 18 months away from north London on loan at Villarreal. Argentina international Lo Celso has caught the eye of new boss Postecoglou this summer, though, and after scoring in friendlies against West Ham and Lion City Sailors, the midfielder is likely to remain part of the squad moving into the Premier League season. Offers will be listened to for various other senior players and young duo Alfie Devine and Dane Scarlett are being lined up for loan moves away. Devine and Scarlett were part of a large Tottenham contingent for the Asia-Pacific pre-season tour, but it is felt the best next step for their development would be to secure a loan away from Spurs for the 2023-24 campaign. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ben Stokes lauds player of the series Chris Woakes after England earn Ashes draw On this day in 2020: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leads Arsenal to FA Cup glory Handshake warning as Elina Svitolina defeats Victoria Azarenka at DC Open

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