Juanfran has warned that Levante cannot be made an example of by authorities investigating allegations of match fixing.
Los Granotes’ players are in the hands of Anti-corruption officials now after the Spanish Football League opened an investigation before the team’s home game with Deportivo on the suspicion that the game, which finished 0-4, was to be fixed.
As a senior member of the dressing room, Juanfran has come out to ask that the club be treated as any other club would be, and not to be seen as the ‘guinea pig’.
“I do not want Levante as the guinea pig, I do not agree with that,” commented the 36-year-old to reporters this week.
“It may be true that something has happened, but I do not think the club must be guinea pigs, because it is much easier to go for a small club than it is a medium or big club.
“People must be careful. Doing things publicly as they have been so far is doing great harm not only to the players but to the club too.
“When they realise what has been done is wrong, I hope for an apology.”
Juanfran also reflected to reporters on his head injury sustained against Mallorca recently, that put him in intensive care and then kept him hospitalised for several days after.
“The first thing the neurosurgeon told me was that my season was over, unless there was reason for me to force my return, but fortunately we are safe from relegation for another year.
“But I would like to play in the last game of the season. I’m getting ahead of myself because I have to do a CAT scan and pass the desired tests first. We’ll have to decide if I can and if I dare.
“The doctors do not rule out that had I carried on playing for another two or three minutes then I could have fallen again, and that if I had received another blow, yes I would have been in danger.
“We noticed at the time that it was more swollen that we thought. I still have headaches, feel bad, it is all to do with the blow to the head. We must be very calm, I suffered two blows in the same place…”
