Endrick And Palmeiras Stun Botafogo As Owner Cries Corruption

“This is corruption. This is a theft. The Championship has become a joke.”

Last night Brazilian Série A leaders Botafogo lost at home to title rivals Palmeiras in quite devastating fashion. They were 3-0 up at half-time but managed to end up on the receiving end of a 4-3 scoreline. Ouch.

This result means Botafogo now have just two wins from nine league games. They had been running away with the title, but now they are throwing it away instead. At one stage Botafogo led the table by more than a dozen points, but Palmeiras are now just three points behind them.

A stadium that until recently had enjoyed a season of fireworks, hope and joy was covered by a dark cloud of depression after last night’s final whistle. Fans left the stands dismayed and the Botafogo players were angry and in shock.

One man who took this defeat as bad as anybody wasn’t a player or coach, nor was he a season ticket holder of the Rio de Janeiro based club. The angriest man after last night’s game was the American owner of the home side; John Textor.

John Textor is the founder and chairman of Eagle Football Holdings, who have large stakes in major clubs across the globe including Botafogo, Crystal Palace of the Premier League and Olympique Lyonnais in France’s Ligue 1.

Textor was in attendance at last night’s game and might yet regret ranting in a post-match interview with Brazilian media. He called out the head of the Brazilian F.A and said that a red card received by Botafogo was a corrupt decision. The red card might not have been an obvious one, but it wasn’t a completely ridiculous decision either.

Soon after the sending off Botafogo were awarded a penalty too, but they failed to convert. South American football might not have a squeaky clean past of zero corruption, but it seems that on this occasion it simply wasn’t Botafogo’s night.

Textor’s reaction was one of frustration but he certainly spoke his heart out in the interview. On one hand it was refreshing to see a club owner on the touchline in his team colours; speaking like a fan and not a businessman, wearing a jersey and not a suit.

“The whole world saw it, that is not a red card.” He went on… “Fine me, you can red card me!”

On the other hand his comments were cringeworthy and desperate. Palmeiras devoured the hosts in the second half and it appears that Botafogo and their owners are lamenting throwing away their points advantage.

Textor was feeling the pressure and the pain of the beautiful game and would have been better off not accusing the Brazilian F.A of corruption. He will undoubtedly receive a hefty fine from the association.

The most comical moment of Textor’s rant came as the Palmerias players passed his side to leave the pitch: “Gentleman you played a good game, it’s not your fault, but this is f****ng corruption.” Whether or not the opposition players listened to or understood Textor is another matter.

Eagle Football Holdings describes itself as “a family of global football organizations with top-tier clubs and elite academies.” It is a part of football’s latest fashion; the multi-club model.

‘City Football Group’ are the trailblazers behind this trend. Their portfolio of clubs includes Manchester City, NYCFC, Girona FC of Spain, Bahia of Brazil, Palermo of Italy and many more.

By having major stakes in various teams, ownership groups gain many competitive advantages. For example; they can buy and loan players between clubs where it suits and they can earn bigger commercial contracts because they have extended commercial reach.

Eagle Football Holdings state on their own website: “Our clubs collaborate to maximize competitive advantage through access to our global network of talent.” They are doing just that. In December 2022 Botafogo traveled to London to face Crystal Palace in a friendly match and last August Botafogo signed midfielder Jacob Montes on a free transfer from Selhurst Park.

The likes of Crystal Palace and Lyon couldn’t be much further from winning a title at the moment, so it’s no surprise that Textor was in Rio de Janerico to cheer on Botafogo. However, Palmeiras teenager and future Real Madrid star Endrick ripped up the script last night.

Botafogo’s title charge is weakening at a weekly rate and Textor’s rant may have won him some fans on the internet, but it will not have aided his relationship with the Brazilian F.A.