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Colombia Judge Orders Prison for Suspects in Kidnapping of Liverpool Player Parents

This photo released by Colombia's Football Federation shows Liverpool soccer player Luis Diaz, left, reuniting with his father Luis Manuel Díaz, days after his father was released from his kidnappers, in Barranquilla, Colombia, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Colombia Football Federation via AP)
This photo released by Colombia's Football Federation shows Liverpool soccer player Luis Diaz, left, reuniting with his father Luis Manuel Díaz, days after his father was released from his kidnappers, in Barranquilla, Colombia, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Colombia Football Federation via AP)
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Colombia Judge Orders Prison for Suspects in Kidnapping of Liverpool Player Parents

This photo released by Colombia's Football Federation shows Liverpool soccer player Luis Diaz, left, reuniting with his father Luis Manuel Díaz, days after his father was released from his kidnappers, in Barranquilla, Colombia, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Colombia Football Federation via AP)
This photo released by Colombia's Football Federation shows Liverpool soccer player Luis Diaz, left, reuniting with his father Luis Manuel Díaz, days after his father was released from his kidnappers, in Barranquilla, Colombia, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Colombia Football Federation via AP)

Two suspects in the kidnapping of the parents of Liverpool soccer player Luis Díaz were ordered sent to prison by a judge, Colombia’s Prosecutor’s Office said Wednesday, accusing one of the men of being the link to a person close to the family who provided information about the victims.
Andrés Alcires Bolívar and Marlon Rafael Brito are also accused of maintaining contacts with members of the National Liberation Army, or ELN, in the planning and execution of the Oct. 28 abductions in Barrancas, a town in La Guajira in Colombia’s northeast of Colombia, The Associated Press reported.
Díaz’s parents - Luis Manuel Díaz Jiménez and Cilenis Marulanda — were kidnapped by a unit of the ELN at a gas station by armed men on motorcycles.
Marulanda was rescued by police a few hours later, but Díaz’s father was held captive for 12 days by the ELN. The father was released on Nov. 9 near the Serranía del Perijá, bordering Venezuela, where facilitators from the Catholic Church and the United Nations had flown by helicopter.
Prosecutors said in a statement that Alcires Bolivar was a merchant in La Guajira who had been contacted by a member of the ELN to help him kidnap Díaz’s parents. He allegedly went to Barrancas to convince “a person who was close to the Díaz family” to participate in the kidnapping and to learn about the victims’ routines.
Rafael Brito allegedly helped in the logistics of the kidnapping, including planning the deception under which Díaz Jiménez and Marulanda were abducted at the gas station. Prosecutors say the soccer player’s parents went there to fulfill a promise of support for the candidacy of a relative who was running for the Barrancas Council.
The two men have denied involvement in the kidnapping and other charges.
Díaz plays from the English club Liverpool and Colombia’s national soccer team.
After the kidnapping, special forces were deployed to search for Díaz’s father in a mountain range that straddles Colombia and Venezuela. Police also offered a $48,000 reward for information that led to him.
The ELN acknowledged the kidnapping, saying it was a mistake and that its top leadership had ordered the father’s release.

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Netherlands Coach Xavi Says he Was at Fault for Poor 1st Half in Greece

Netherlands Xavi Hernadez reacts during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Greece and Netherlands in Thessaloniki, Greece, 01 October 2026. EPA/ACHILLEAS CHIRAS
Netherlands Xavi Hernadez reacts during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Greece and Netherlands in Thessaloniki, Greece, 01 October 2026. EPA/ACHILLEAS CHIRAS
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Netherlands Coach Xavi Says he Was at Fault for Poor 1st Half in Greece

Netherlands Xavi Hernadez reacts during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Greece and Netherlands in Thessaloniki, Greece, 01 October 2026. EPA/ACHILLEAS CHIRAS
Netherlands Xavi Hernadez reacts during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Greece and Netherlands in Thessaloniki, Greece, 01 October 2026. EPA/ACHILLEAS CHIRAS

Netherlands coach Xavi Hernandez said he was to blame for his side’s poor first-half performance in Thursday’s Nations League game against Greece after they trailed 2-0 before fighting back to draw.

The result maintained the former World Cup winner’s unbeaten start to his tenure in charge of the Dutch national team, but it proved a close-run contest with Tijjani Reijnders equalizing a minute from the end at Stadio Toumbas.

Greece had opened up a two-goal lead at the ⁠break through Fotis ⁠Ioannidis and Georgios Masouras before Virgil van Dijk halved the deficit just before the hour mark.

“I’m never happy with a draw. But the first half was very poor. That was my fault as a coach. Maybe I made things unclear ⁠for the players by making too many changes,” Reuters quoted Xavi as saying.

Xavi made three changes at the start of the second half, and the Dutch dominated from then on.

“I’m just trying to be honest, because that’s who I am," said Xavi. "At halftime, I told the players exactly the same thing: sorry, because I think this is my fault. Forget the first half, now we’re going to restructure things in ⁠the ⁠second.”

Ryan Gravenberch, Noa Lang, and Reijnders all made a big impact, but Xavi preferred to talk about a change in approach after the break.

“I think above all that the system was different. We played with a diamond in midfield, and that created more chances," he explained. "The pitch became more open, and we had more speed with the ball.”

The Dutch play the last of their four fixtures in the international window against Serbia in Eindhoven on Sunday.

Sports

Verstappen Sets Pace in Opening Practice in Sepang

Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen steers his car during the first practice session ahead of the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang on October 2, 2026. (Photo by JADE GAO / AFP)
Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen steers his car during the first practice session ahead of the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang on October 2, 2026. (Photo by JADE GAO / AFP)
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Verstappen Sets Pace in Opening Practice in Sepang

Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen steers his car during the first practice session ahead of the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang on October 2, 2026. (Photo by JADE GAO / AFP)
Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen steers his car during the first practice session ahead of the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang on October 2, 2026. (Photo by JADE GAO / AFP)

Red Bull's Max Verstappen topped Friday's opening Formula One practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, clocking the fastest time as the four-times world champion eyes his first victory of the season.

The Dutchman lapped the 5.543-km circuit in 1 minute, 37.520 seconds, with Mercedes driver George Russell trailing by 0.383 seconds at the Sepang International Circuit, which is hosting the Bahrain race due to the conflict in the Middle East.

Verstappen's team mate Isack Hadjar claimed third spot, while Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was the only other driver to post a lap time within one second of the Red Bull pacesetter's best effort.

"It's early to get excited because it's only FP1 but Max and Isack did a good job in very difficult conditions - they got into a ⁠rhythm pretty quickly," ⁠Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies told Sky Sports F1, according to Reuters.

"Everyone is fighting with the car because of the extreme heat so it doesn't feel good for anyone."

Verstappen won the last Malaysian Grand Prix in 2017 before it dropped off the F1 calendar, with the government saying it could no longer justify the costs.

Friday's session unfolded under sunny skies, though a dusty start-finish straight created hazy viewing conditions in the early ⁠stages.

Mercedes, who brought a new upgrade package to their car, arrived sporting a vibrant teal-green livery at the home track of their title sponsor Petronas.

While Russell appeared to adapt quickly to the circuit he was driving on for the first time, championship leader Kimi Antonelli could only manage fifth fastest, more than a second off the pace.

The Mercedes duo, separated by 66 points at the top of the championship standings, both encountered difficulties at turn four, going wide towards the session's end as they grappled with tire wear issues.

They were not alone in their struggles, with Ferrari's Leclerc, who last drove in Sepang in 2017 as a test driver, ⁠bluntly summing up ⁠the conditions by saying: "The tire degradation is insane."

His team mate Lewis Hamilton, who has one victory in Sepang, was sixth fastest, ahead of Alpine's Pierre Gasly. Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, and Audi's Nico Hulkenberg completed the top 10.

The FIA said Hadjar, Lindblad and Franco Colapinto exceeded their seasonal allowances for engines and the three drivers received grid penalties.

Racing Bulls confirmed Lindblad was taking a fifth new power unit and would start at the back, while Colapinto received a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his internal combustion engine allocation for the first time.

Colapinto had already been given a five-place grid penalty for causing the crash at turn one in Baku which took out team mate Gasly and McLaren's reigning champion Lando Norris.

Norris was only 12th fastest, behind his McLaren team mate Oscar Piastri.

Sports

Not-so-brave New World: Virtual Taekwondo Makes Asian Games Debut

Kazakhstan's Rita Bakisheva (L) competes against Jordan's Mohammad Aladarbi in the mixed individual virtual taekwondo competition during the 2026 Asian Games at the Toyohashi Gymnasium in Toyohashi on October 2, 2026. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP)
Kazakhstan's Rita Bakisheva (L) competes against Jordan's Mohammad Aladarbi in the mixed individual virtual taekwondo competition during the 2026 Asian Games at the Toyohashi Gymnasium in Toyohashi on October 2, 2026. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP)
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Not-so-brave New World: Virtual Taekwondo Makes Asian Games Debut

Kazakhstan's Rita Bakisheva (L) competes against Jordan's Mohammad Aladarbi in the mixed individual virtual taekwondo competition during the 2026 Asian Games at the Toyohashi Gymnasium in Toyohashi on October 2, 2026. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP)
Kazakhstan's Rita Bakisheva (L) competes against Jordan's Mohammad Aladarbi in the mixed individual virtual taekwondo competition during the 2026 Asian Games at the Toyohashi Gymnasium in Toyohashi on October 2, 2026. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP)

Taekwondo dates back more than 2,000 years, but on Friday at the Asian Games the Korean martial art stepped into a not-so-brave future where nobody gets hurt: virtual taekwondo.

At a gymnasium about a 90-minute drive from the main Games host city of Nagoya, a modest number of spectators watched with a mix of fascination and bewilderment.

Taekwondo officials have billed it as "real-world martial arts meets cutting-edge virtual technology".

Competitors wear a VR headset and motion tracking technology allows their movements to control their in-game avatars.

They have "nodes" on their back, thighs and shins to pick up each bodily action.

Rounds are typically 60 seconds each and matches are a best of three rounds, the two combatants standing within their own play area a few meters apart.

The goal is to aim real-life kicks to the virtual body and head of their opponent to deplete their computerized health bar.

The opponent is physically there, standing on an opposing side, but there is never any real-life contact.

Darren Yap won bronze -- to go with another bronze in the traditional format.

"It was fun playing out there. I had zero expectations," said the Singaporean.

Asked what he could see through the VR headset, he said: "You can see your health bar, your opponent's character, your limbs.

"It's actually quite nice to wear.

"It's a fun way to do sparring and it's a fun way to do taekwondo without the contact."

Officials say virtual taekwondo is just as athletically demanding as the real thing, but safer.

Governing body World Taekwondo "proudly endorses" it, calling it "groundbreaking".

Sceptics say it is just another type of gaming.

The first world championships were in 2024 in Singapore, but on Friday it arrived at a bigger stage.

One of the differences to the real-life sport is that men and women compete in a mixed category. There are also no weight classes.

"It allows more people to participate in the sport, and I think it's cool that women are able to beat men," said Yap, 22, after losing his semi-final to Vietnam's woman athlete Chau Ngoc Tuyet Sang.

Singapore has become the early home of the sport. Virtual taekwondo appeared at the inaugural Olympic Esports Week in the city-state in 2023.

Silver medalist Chau, who also competes in the real-life format, had mixed feelings about no gender or weight separation.

"One advantage is that you don't have to worry about the difference in weight," the 21-year-old said.

"But one disadvantage is that men and women can have differences in physical strength, and men may tend to be stronger.

"That could also mean that some of the movements are faster than those performed by women."