Source:REUTERS/Jean Carniel
[Saba Sports News] Recently, Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas has filed a lawsuit with the court against Olympique Lyonnais, claiming over 745 million reais in outstanding debts, in an effort to protect the club’s assets. Since establishing its football joint-stock company (SAF) in 2022, Botafogo has joined Eagle Football Holdings, a multi-club ownership group led by John Textor. As part of its sporting strategy, all clubs under the group adopt a collaborative model for financial and player management. Eagle Football acquired Olympique Lyonnais in late 2022, when the club was facing bankruptcy. At that time, all creditors demanded debt repayment, and the group faced an immediate threat of severe sanctions from the Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion (DNCG), the French football financial watchdog, on its first day of ownership. Against this backdrop, Botafogo provided continuous financial support, injecting a total of more than 745 million reais (approximately 126 million euros) in the form of loans, with the clear expectation of recovering the principal and interest under the terms agreed in advance. Subsequently, due to internal shareholder disputes within Eagle Football Holdings, the new chairman of Olympique Lyonnais unilaterally tore up the cooperation agreement.
The editor believes that this default has directly disrupted Botafogo’s operations and financial planning, impaired the club’s ability to renew player contracts and make new signings, and could even result in a transfer ban imposed by FIFA on the club by the end of 2025.