Liverpool

Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp will leave the club at the end of the 2023-24 season, he announced on Friday.

"I can understand that it's a shock for a lot of people in this moment, when you hear it for the first time, but obviously I can explain it, or at least try to explain it," Klopp said.

"I love absolutely everything about this club, I love everything about the city, I love everything about our supporters, I love the team, I love the staff. I love everything. But that I still take this decision shows you that I am convinced it is the one I have to take.

"It is that I am, how can I say it, running out of energy. I have no problem now, obviously, I knew it already for longer that I will have to announce it at one point, but I am absolutely fine now. I know that I cannot do the job again and again and again and again."

LeBron James, who owns a stake in Liverpool through Fenway Sports Group, sent a message of appreciation to Klopp on Friday:

Klopp joined Liverpool in 2015 after a successful stint at Borussia Dortmund. He led the club to a Champions League title in 2019 and won the Premier League in 2020. Liverpool currently has a five-point lead in the EPL table.

Before Klopp's arrival, Liverpool had not won a league crown since 1989-90.

Klopp is not calling his decision to step away a retirement, though he said he does not anticipate managing again at this time. He said he will never coach a different English club.

"If you ask me now if I will ever manage again? I would say no," Klopp said. "But you don't know obviously as I've never had this situation. But I do know definitely I will never manage a different club in England than Liverpool. It is impossible.

"I will find something else to do. But I will not manage a club or country for at least a year."

Klopp first informed Liverpool management of his decision in November because he did not want to blindside the club as it was preparing for next season. He said he was motivated to return after a "difficult" 2022-23 campaign in order to get Liverpool "back on the rails" so he could leave the team better than he found it.

Liverpool finished no worse than third in the EPL table in four straight seasons before a fifth-place finish last year.

Klopp's contract was set to end in 2026. Liverpool's ownership, Fenway Sports Group, released a statement saying the club will wait until the end of this season to begin a coaching search and it will be "business as usual" for the remainder of the campaign.

The Colombian Football Federation announced Thursday the father of Liverpool star Luis Díaz was released from kidnappers.

Díaz's parents were kidnapped 12 days ago by the National Liberation Army, a guerrilla group in Colombia. While his mother was quickly rescued, his father remained in captivity.

The Colombian government opened negotiations to secure the release of Luis Manuel Díaz, while police offered a reward for information on his whereabouts.

As the story gained worldwide attention, ELN commander Eliecer Herlinto Chamorro called kidnapping the elder Díaz a "mistake."

"Lucho is a symbol of Colombia—that is how we in the ELN feel about him," he said, referencing the national team winger, per the Telegraph's Harriet Barber.

"We hope that the operational situation on the ground can be resolved, this is the guidance that the commanders have to expedite the release."

Ahead of his team's match against Nottingham Forest on Oct. 29, Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp said Díaz had been removed from the squad to attend to a "private situation." Diogo Jota scored the first goal in a 3-0 victory and held up Díaz's No. 7 shirt in a show of support.

Díaz returned to the pitch for Sunday's 1-1 draw with Luton Town. He scored the equalizer in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time and lifted up his shirt to reveal a message that read, "Freedom For Dad."

The 26-year-old then released a statement personally asking for his father's release.

According to the BBC, Luis Manuel Díaz was transported by military helicopter to Valledupar, Colombia. He'll be released to his family after undergoing a physical examination.

Police are investigating after the parents of Liverpool forward Luis Díaz were kidnapped in his native Colombia, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Saturday, per ESPN.

Díaz's parents were reportedly kidnapped while they were driving home in northern Colombia. According to authorities, gunmen pulled up to their vehicle on motorbikes before getting in the vehicle and driving them away.

The 26-year-old's mother, Cilenis Marulanda, was rescued in Barrancas—a municipality in Colombia's northern La Guajira province. The search for his father, who is still missing, remains ongoing.

The Colombian Football Federation expressed solidarity with the Díaz family in a statement and called on local authorities to act quickly to rescue his father.

Díaz has appeared in 43 international matches for Colombia. He was signed by Liverpool from Portuguese club Porto in January 2022 and has quickly become one of the club's biggest faces, scoring 14 goals in 58 games for the Premier League side.

The Colombian most recently appeared for Liverpool in the club's 2-0 win over Everton on Oct. 21. It's unclear if he'll be available for Sunday's match against Nottingham Forest.

Díaz also recently played for Colombia in their CONMEBOL qualifiers against Ecuador and Uruguay earlier this month.

Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp expressed his belief Wednesday that last weekend's 2-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur should be replayed after a VAR review wrongly upheld a disallowed goal.

Although he is doubtful it will happen, Klopp called for a replay due to the "unprecedented" nature of the blown call:

During the 34th minute of the match, Luis Díaz seemingly scored to give Liverpool a 1-0 lead. The on-field official called it offside, and after a brief VAR review, the call was upheld.

On Tuesday, the English Premier League released audio of the VAR review, which featured VAR officials realizing they made a mistake by confirming the call after the visuals showed Díaz was onside:

The VAR officials attempted to backtrack, but the match had already been resumed, so they could not correct their mistake.

Per BBC Sport's Simon Stone, Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) released a statement after the match Saturday, acknowledging that an error was made:

"PGMOL acknowledge significant human error during Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool. The goal by Luis Díaz was disallowed for offside by the on-field team of match officials. This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention, however, the VAR failed to intervene. PGMOL will conduct a full review into the circumstances which led to the error."

Had the goal been allowed, it would have given Liverpool a huge boost, as they were playing a man down after Curtis Jones was shown a red card in the 26th minute.

With the red card and the disallowed goal deflating the Reds, Tottenham took advantage in the 36th minute, as Son Heung-min scored to give them a 1-0 lead.

Somewhat surprisingly, Liverpool struck back in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time with an equalizing goal by Cody Gakpo, giving them some momentum entering the second half.

Liverpool went down a second man in the 69th minute when Diogo Jota was red carded, and while they nearly made it to the finish line to secure a draw, a Joël Matip own goal in the 96th minute gave Tottenham the win.

Tottenham winning created a huge shift in the standings, as they leapfrogged Liverpool into second place with 17 points, while the Reds sit in fourth with 16 points.

Although Liverpool were undoubtedly dealt a bad hand in Saturday's loss, Klopp does not foresee any major changes being made.

Klopp suggested that the match should be replayed, but he doesn't believe the EPL will allow it to happen since it would open the door for other clubs to make similar requests in the future.

Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) released the audio of the conversation between the match officials during Tottenham Hotspur's 2-1 win over Liverpool when a goal by Luis Díaz was ruled out for offside.

In the video published Tuesday, VAR officials can be heard identifying how the call on the field was misidentified in the booth. Darren England, who was running the review, believed he was confirming that Díaz had been onside rather than overturning the original decision. The match had restarted before the mistake was made clear, so nothing could be done at that point.

"As stated shortly after the full-time whistle on Saturday evening, we acknowledged in a statement that a significant human error had occurred during the aforementioned match, which we recognize should have resulted in a goal being awarded through VAR intervention," PGMOL said in a statement.

In its statement, the PGMOL added will emphasize to officials "the need for efficiency, but never at the expense of accuracy." Slight changes to the VAR process will be made as well to improve communication between the match referee and the VAR booth.

As Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp said in his post-match press conference, what's done is done in terms how much the mistake influenced Saturday's match. Maybe Liverpool still winds up losing even if Díaz's goal had stood, but there's no question a first-half goal for the Reds would've changed the proceedings.

The PGMOL's attempt at providing additional transparency may also do little to quell the general criticism that's growing toward the whole premise behind VAR.

Games are slowing down and supporters aren't sure whether they can celebrate a goal, lest an attacker be deemed centimeters ahead of the offside line following a lengthy review.

There are also incidents, like the tackle that garnered a red card for Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones. What looked like a bookable offense in real time rises to the level of a dismissal when it's slowed down and scrutinized second by second.

"This was a very modern kind of red card: a red card that wasn't obviously unfair or incorrect; but which also wasn't obviously correct or fair," the Guardian's Barney Ronay wrote of Jones' sending-off. "It was a red card that happened because the tools exist to call it into being."

The red card was upheld after an appeal.

VAR isn't even assured of guaranteeing the one thing it's supposed to accomplish, as evidenced by Saturday's error. Earlier this season, Wolverhampton Wanderers received their own apology because Michael Salisbury, the VAR official, failed to award a penalty due a foul by Manchester United goalkeeper André Onana in second-half stoppage time.

It might be only a matter of time before the next major VAR controversy, which will prompt another apology and a series of minor measures in an effort to perfect what may be an irrevocably flawed system.

Professional Game Match Officials Limited, which is the body that officiates major English soccer matches, admitted that officials erred in disallowing a Liverpool goal during their 2-1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

Per BBC Sport's Simon Stone, PGMOL released the following statement regarding the mistake:

"PGMOL acknowledge significant human error during Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool. The goal by Luis Díaz was disallowed for offside by the on-field team of match officials. This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention, however, the VAR failed to intervene. PGMOL will conduct a full review into the circumstances which led to the error."

In the 34th minute of the match, Luis Díaz took a pass from Mohamed Salah and scored, but it was immediately negated by an offside call:

Per ESPN's Dale Johnson, VAR official Darren England subsequently checked on the decision, but it was a quick review during which no offside lines were shown on the screen.

Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp gave his viewpoint on the call that took away what would have been a 1-0 lead, saying the "pictures confirm" that it should have been a goal:

According to Johnson, Klopp went on to add: "Nobody expects 100 percent correct decisions, but when VAR comes in, it should become easier. The decision was made really quick and it changed the momentum of the game."

Per Football.London's Alasdair Gold, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou countered by suggesting that inaccurate calls are part of the game, saying: "No form of technology is going to make the game errorless. The game is littered with historical refereeing decisions that weren't right. People think VAR is going to be errorless, but there's so little in the game that is factual."

Making the offsides call even more devastating for Liverpool was the fact that Curtis Jones was shown a red card in the 26th minute, forcing the Reds to play most of the match down a man.

Just two minutes after the disallowed goal, Tottenham took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Son Heung-min in the 36th minute.

Liverpool equalized with a goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time in the first half by Cody Gakpo, but Diogo Jota was shown a red card in the 69th minute, putting the Reds down two men.

Although Liverpool nearly overcame the adversity and secured a draw, an own goal by Joël Matip in the 96th minute was the difference for Tottenham.

Liverpool were two points ahead of Tottenham in the English Premier League standings entering the day, but Tottenham jumped into second place with 17 points thanks to the win, putting them just one point behind Manchester City.

Meanwhile, Liverpool sit in fourth with 16 points and must wait until next Sunday to get back on track in their EPL campaign when they face Brighton.

Liverpool reportedly rejected a transfer offer worth as much as £150 million ($190 million) from Saudi Arabian club Al Ittihad for star forward Mo Salah on Friday.

According to ESPN's Mark Ogden, Al Ittihad have long coveted Salah, and they made their official offer Friday of £100 million with incentives for it to potentially grow to £150 million.

Liverpool reportedly shut down the offer and a club source told ESPN, "The player is not for sale," with regard to Salah.

Al Ittihad reportedly wanted to pair Salah with veteran striker Karim Benzema after signing the former Real Madrid star this summer. They also would have reunited Salah with former Liverpool teammate Fabinho.

Salah, 31, recently started his seventh season with the Reds after transferring from Serie A club Roma in 2017.

The Egyptian star has been a consistent performer, scoring 187 goals in 308 matches across all competitions for Liverpool. That included a career-high 44 goals in 2017-18, and he scored at least 30 goals in three consecutive campaigns entering the 2023-24 season.

Salah is under contract with Liverpool through 2025, and it isn't clear what his level of interest may have been in making a move to Al Ittihad.

During his time at Liverpool, Salah has enjoyed a great deal of success individually and with the team.

He has won the UEFA Champions League, English Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and FA Community Shield one time each, plus he is a three-time winner of the Premier League Golden Boot as the EPL's leading goal scorer, and a one-time EPL Player of the Season.

Liverpool last won a Premier League title in 2020, and from 2019 through 2022, they finished third or better in the table each year.

The Reds dipped to fifth last season, but they figure to be contenders again in 2023-24 and are off to a strong start with two wins and one draw in three matches.

Salah and Liverpool will be back in action Sunday when they host Aston Villa at Anfield.

Al-Ittihad is making another run at trying to land Mohamed Salah in a transfer from Liverpool.

Per The Athletic's David Ornstein, the Saudi Arabia pro league club has "concrete" interest in signing Salah.

Ornstein added it's "unclear" at this point if a deal will materialize and that Liverpool's stance "remains that Salah is not for sale."

Ramy Abbas Issa, Salah's representative, previously dismissed reporters the 31-year-old superstar was looking to leave Liverpool by noting he wouldn't have re-signed with the club if that were the case.

Salah signed a three-year deal with the Reds in July 2022 that keeps him with the club through 2025 and pays him around $69 million.

Per a recent report from Al Riyadh (h/t Jeorge Bird of the Daily Mail), Al-Ittihad was prepared to make Salah an offer of around $195.9 million for two years.

The Saudi Pro League is becoming a major player on the world football stage thanks to several marquee player additions this summer. Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Jota and Fabinho have already joined Al-Ittihad on massive deals.

Fabinho spent five seasons as Salah's teammate with Liverpool before making the move to Al-Ittihad. The Reds also lost Jordan Henderson when he agreed to a transfer deal with another Saudi Pro League club, Al-Ettifaq, on July 27.

This doesn't even include Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Al Nassr on a two-year deal estimated to be worth $220.2 million.

Salah has been with Liverpool since 2017 when he agreed to a transfer from Roma. The club has finished in the top five in the Premier League table in each of his first six seasons, including a title in 2019-20.

In 220 career Premier League games with the Reds, Salah has scored 138 goals. He notched his first goal of the 2023-24 season in Saturday's 3-1 win over AFC Bournemouth.