Botafogo claims more than 120 million euros from Olympique Lyonnais in a case of internal loans, an amount disputed by OL.
Nothing is going well within the Eagle Football Empire. While Olympique Lyonnais is barely recovered from its maintenance in Ligue 1, a new file is waving behind the scenes: financial relations with Botafogo, another club controlled by John Textor. The Brazilian club indeed requires much higher sums than those recognized by OL, in a case of internal loans which reveals the growing tensions between the group's entities.
In a letter dated June 18 and consulted by
GloboCEO of Botafogo, Thairo Arruda, says that the Carioca club has lent more than 771 million reals, or around 122 million euros, at OL since 2023. These funds served in particular to support the cash of the French club, then under pressure from the DNCG, the financial control body for hexagonal football.
According to the Brazilian media, these loans include advances on sales of players as well as funds from the Macquarie Bank, intended to strengthen the Lyon workforce. Among the operations mentioned are the early transfer of Luiz Henrique to OL, but also the complex sale of Thiago Almada, a transaction which would have caused a deficit on the side of Botafogo.
A contested addition
Today, the figures are debated. Botafogo requires 286 million reals (around 45 million euros) for the sums directly loaned, but also an additional 410 million linked to Almada and Igor Jesus operations. For its part, Olympique Lyonnais vigorously challenges these amounts and recognizes only a debt of 127 million reals (around 20 million euros). The French club considers in particular that they do not have to bear the banking interests contracted by Botafogo for these transfers.
John Textor's central role further complicates the situation a little more. Since his withdrawal from the management of Eagle Football, the American has said that he heard fully devoting himself to Botafogo.
The Brazilian club has also initiated a procedure
aimed at recognizing a financial imbalance in relations with Lyon, and officially claiming the full reimbursement of the advanced amounts.
