John Textor’s latest comments to Globo Esporte underline that, despite selling his stake in Crystal Palace earlier this year and rumours of investing elsewhere, he has no plans to walk away from Botafogo.
The American businessman has faced increasing scrutiny over his financial links with Nottingham Forest and Lyon. He’s now said he intends to remain involved with the Brazilian club “until I die”.
Textor was responding to rumours about internal disputes at Botafogo following reports of an alleged meeting between representatives of Eagle Football and the investment firm Ares, which helped finance his Lyon takeover.
He firmly denied the speculation, saying he remains the controlling figure within the Eagle Football structure and that there is “no fight for control” with the club’s social members.
“João Paulo [Magalhães Lins] runs the social club, they have 10% of Botafogo and are always welcome to contribute, but Eagle Football owns 90%,” Textor explained. “We are not Vasco, this is not 777. We have good shareholders and strong governance. There’s no need for change.”
The dig at local rivals Vasco da Gama referred to the turmoil involving 777 Partners. That’s the Miami-based investment group that once controlled the Rio de Janeiro club.
In 2024, Vasco’s management took 777 to court, seeking their removal after the company faced financial and legal troubles. Since then, the club has been operating without a majority investor.
Textor, meanwhile, insists Botafogo’s structure is sound and its finances remain stable. Despite recent turbulence elsewhere in his football portfolio. “The shareholders will continue to help. I said I would like to die in this club, and I will die at Botafogo,” he declared.
The statement follows months of speculation surrounding Textor’s operations in Europe. After offloading his 44.9% share in Crystal Palace to Woody Johnson, owner of the New York Jets, he has sought to distance himself from potential UEFA conflicts of interest.
Yet in parallel, reports from Brazil have linked Nottingham Forest to a series of complex transfers from Botafogo, allegedly connected to Textor’s financial dealings with Evangelos Marinakis, the Greek businessman who owns Forest.
Those moves, including the arrivals of Jair, John, Igor Jesus and Cuiabano, were reportedly part of an informal settlement between the two owners. And if Textor remains at Botafogo, fans of both clubs can expect similar deals to keep coming.
Taken together, these developments suggest Textor has been consolidating and reshaping his football empire in recent months. But if one message was clear from his latest remarks, it is that Botafogo remains his central project, the asset he insists he will never give up.
