14 Seconds of Silence: Levante Boss Luís Castro Left Speechless by Arriaga Ban
Levante manager Luís Castro said absolutely nothing for 14 awkward seconds when asked about Kervin Arriaga's three-match ban after the Villarreal match.
Fourteen seconds doesn’t sound like a lot. But in a post-match press conference, with a room full of journalists staring at you, it’s an eternity — and Levante boss Luís Castro lived every single one of them this week.
The Silence That Said Everything
After Wednesday’s game against Villarreal, Castro was asked about the three-match suspension handed to midfielder Kervin Arriaga by the Spanish Football Federation’s disciplinary committee. His response? Nothing. Not a word. Just silence — for a full 14 seconds.
Whether he was fuming, resigned, or just choosing his words very carefully, nobody could quite tell. Probably all three, if we’re being honest.
What He Actually Said (Eventually)
When Castro did finally speak, he kept it brief but made his feelings pretty clear without going full nuclear:
- He stressed that Arriaga had done something wrong, but framed it in stark terms — the player hadn’t killed anyone
- He pointed out that the only person who couldn’t play in that match was Pablo Martínez, the Villarreal player who was on the receiving end
- He was blunt: “No voy a decir nada más” — he wasn’t going to say any more on the matter
- He then, erm, said a bit more — suggesting that similar incidents elsewhere in the same competition have attracted very different punishments
That last point is the one that’ll linger. It’s the classic “one rule for us, another for everyone else” argument, and it’s one that tends to resonate with fans regardless of whether you think it’s entirely fair or not.
Iborra Copping It Too
Arriaga wasn’t the only one at the club feeling the heat from the disciplinary committee. Assistant manager Vicente Iborra also picked up a three-match touchline ban:
- One game for the red card he received during the match
- Two additional games for his conduct in the tunnel after being sent off
Not ideal when your head coach is already visibly stressed and your squad is losing bodies to suspension.
The Bigger Picture
Levante are clearly feeling hard done by right now, and you can understand why Castro is frustrated. Whether the punishment fits the crime is a debate for another day, but the optics of a manager going silent for 14 seconds before carefully threading the needle between criticism and restraint? That tells you everything about how wound up he actually is.
The Granoters will have to navigate the next few games without Arriaga — and with their assistant manager watching from somewhere other than the dugout. Rough week at the Ciutat de València.