Derby County are caught in the middle of a mess in Brazil, and it’s no surprise Nottingham Forest have also been dragged in. Former Botafogo president Carlos Augusto Montenegro accused John Textor of trying to move players from the Rio club to the English side. And his ultimate goal was to acquire the club.
The claims were made in a leaked audio message circulated in a WhatsApp group of Botafogo council members, as detailed by Globo Esporte.
Montenegro has close ties to Botafogo’s social president João Paulo Magalhães Lins. He has been monitoring Textor’s recent moves.
The American businessman has been assessing options in the English market. And Derby County have appeared among the potential targets, although no formal offer has been made so far.
“He wants to please the owners”
In the leaked audio, Montenegro accused Textor of repeating what he describes as a previous pattern. He said Textor once tried it with Evangelos Marinakis at Nottingham Forest by sending players such as Jair, Igor Jesus, Cuiabano and John… And he was about to do it again with Derby County.
“Textor seems to want to buy a team in England and he has a habit of always trying to please the owner (of the club) when he wants to buy”, Montenegro said.
He continued: “He went there, took them, and then the owner (Nottingham Forest’s Marinakis) gave him the finger. He wanted to do the same thing now.”
Then finally he revealed: “He wanted to take four of our best players to Derby County… It’s a club he wants to buy. But we blocked it. They can only leave with our authorisation.”
The outlet reports that two of the players indirectly referenced in Montenegro’s remarks are forwards José Kadir and Jordan Barrera. Both are viewed as emerging prospects within Botafogo’s structure and were cited as examples in the alleged attempt to move talent to Derby County.
Botafogo denies the claims
Botafogo later released a statement denying any plan or agreement involving a British club. They stressed that no commitment exists with an English team and called social media speculation inaccurate.
However, the backdrop remains tense, as relations between the club’s social arm and Textor’s Eagle group have already escalated into legal demands for financial compensation.
What comes next will depend on the progress of Textor’s search for an English acquisition and whether further internal disputes at Botafogo become public.
