The Brazilian club owned by John Textor has confirmed on Saturday that they have filed a complaint against Lyon due to various unpaid debts.
“Is Lyon in trouble? The Brazilian club Botafogo owned by John Textor has confirmed on Saturday that they have filed a complaint against Lyon, the former French club of the American businessman, in order to recover unpaid debts amounting to 125 million euros,” the Brazilian team stated in a press release.
Previously in charge of OL until June 2025, Michele Kang took over operational responsibilities at Eagle Bidco, the majority shareholder of OL, the Brazilian club, and the Belgian club Molenbeek after Textor attempted to regain control of Olympique Lyonnais.
“Eagle Football acquired Olympique Lyonnais in a situation of bankruptcy at the end of 2022, and under the threat of financial sanctions from the National Directorate of Management Control,” the carioca club’s statement reveals.
Botafogo, which claims to have made financial contributions with the expectation of repayment, criticizes Michele Kang’s unilateral termination of the collaboration agreement between the two clubs. The club, recently facing severe financial difficulties despite winning the Brazilian championship and Copa Libertadores in 2024, was once banned from recruiting players by FIFA due to a debt related to the transfer of Argentine international Thiago Almada.
Textor lost operational control of OL in June 2025 to Ares, the fund that provided 425 million euros to buy the club in 2022. Despite being dismissed from his role as director of Eagle Football in January, Textor continues to lead Botafogo for the time being.
