At this stage, Crystal Palace fans surely know about the fuss that club shareholder John Textor has been causing in Brazil.
The businessman, who owns Botafogo, has been making big accusations about a match-fixing scandal, and even spoke to the Senate about it.
It turns out that Textor is still to provide serious evidence that top tier games are getting fixed, and about that, Premier League Brasil now shares a story.
The piece comes from columnist Renato Senise, who’s a correspondent for ESPN Brasil in England, and therefore knows Crystal Palace and the Premier League very well.
The journalist points out that Textor is a ‘big tiger in Brazil and a kitten in England’, as he shows completely different personalities.
It’s said the businessman rarely appears at Crystal Palace. To prove that, Senise even interviewed some Eagles’ fans who said they know little about him.
In Brazil, however, Textor has been in the spotlight since he bought Botafogo. He seems more comfortable speaking to the media there, and the journalist points out a reason for that.
“If Textor were to make half the accusations in England that he made in Brazil, without presenting any proof afterwards, he would be severely punished,” he says.
“More importantly, he wouldn’t have the backing of anyone, not even the fans of his own club. The American knows that here he has to speak softly. Measure his words. He also knows that the owners of all the other clubs are extremely discreet and averse to interviews. He couldn’t be the only one who was different.
“He has the confidence to accuse, swear and shout. He feels so free that he can even make fun of a senator’s question! Does anyone think he’d have the same courage if he was on a committee in the UK Parliament?”