Ibrahima Konate's father dies as Liverpool star confirms tragic news after missing match

Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate has confirmed the death of his father in a heartbreaking post on social media. It comes after Konate was absent from the Reds squad for the victory over Marseille in the Champions League on Wednesday night. At the time, it was explained that he was back in his native France dealing with a family issue.

Now, the 26-year-old has announced that his father, Hamady, has died in an emotional message on Instagram. Konate, a devout Muslim, wrote: "To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return. Funeral prayer (Salat al-Janazah) for our father, Hamady Konate. Will be held on Friday, January 23rd, after Jumu'ah, Insha'Allah.

"The Messenger of Allah said: There is no deceased person for whom a group of Muslims, numbering one hundred, pray, all supplicating for him, without their requests (for the deceased) being accepted."

Liverpool manager Arne Slot addressed Konate's absence against Marseille following the final whistle, with Joe Gomez playing in central defence instead of the Frenchman.

"First of all, for the family matter, why he is not here, it is very sad for him," explained Slot in his post-match interview with TNT Sports.

"Second of all, we miss him because I mainly played him [alongside Virgil van Dijk]. Joe is a good replacement but not played much in the one-and-a-half year that I have been here, for obvious reasons."

Konate has repeatedly spoken about the inspiration his father gave him when he was trying to make a name for himself as a football player.

Last year, he told French media: "When I left for Sochaux at 15, my father told me only one thing: ''Become someone good'. Three years later, when I left the academy, I received messages from several supervisors.

"One of them, named Farid, wrote: 'Ibra, thank you. I've been doing this job for twenty years, and I've never seen anyone like you. I wish you all the happiness in your future career'.

"That message made my heart race. I took a screenshot and kept it because I knew I had fulfilled the mission my father gave me."

Eric Hely, who coached Konate during his time at Sochaux, previously told ESPN: "He had such great natural talent, with incredible physical abilities. But the most important was that he always listened and worked hard.

"There was nothing stopping him to get to the top. He was so determined. He didn't want to let anyone down, especially his father. Now he deserves everything he is getting."