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“It’s Time to Set Fire” – John Textor’s Brazilian Battle to Reignite Botafogo

August 26, 2024
Brasileirão

Among Rio de Janeiro’s traditional four giants, Botafogo’s history – in state, national and continental competitions – is the least glamorous. Despite holding the record for the longest unbeaten streak in Brazil, a run of 52 between 1977 and 1978, the club of Didi and Garrincha has only ever won the top-flight title twice. As recently as 2021, they were playing in Brazil’s second tier. 

 

‘Fogão’ are nevertheless one of the nation’s traditional G-12, boasting an iconic badge recognised worldwide, as well as more players called up by Brazil than any other club. When foreign investment into the league became possible in 2021, the recently-constructed, 46,000-capacity Estádio Nilson Santos made Botafogo a highly attractive prospect. 

 

Swiftly, in moved John Textor. The American entertainment expert, who had earlier invested in a 40% stake in Premier League side Crystal Palace, purchased 90% of Fogão to become Brazil’s first individual club owner from the USA. Textor acquired 80% of Belgian second-tier side RWD Molenbeek in the same week, additionally going on to become the majority shareholder of French giants Olympique Lyonnais. 

 

Skepticism could have spread as a loud-mouthed American pounced on an opportunity to buy one of Brazil’s most traditional clubs, but Textor’s arrival was met with jubilation, triggering a significant rise in demand for tickets at Nilton Santos. A support which had been weighed down by their club’s debt were not only met with an alternative, but a transparent white-knight with ambition and character in abundance. 

 

 

“No person should ever feel like they own a club like this, because it belongs to the fans,” Textor told the club’s supporters, after receiving a hero’s welcome in Rio. “I think the opportunity to buy a club is the opportunity to be its ‘caretaker…’ the club has existed since long before I’m alive, and it will continue to exist.”

 

Mega-rich owners throughout football are often criticised for being out of touch, but from the very beginning, Textor made clear his intentions to be the opposite. The involvement of other clubs in his portfolio certainly complicated matters, but that was an issue for another day. Botafogo were back. 

 

The takeover coincided with the club’s return to Brazil’s top flight, so a determined Textor quickly set about transforming the club’s personnel, on and off the pitch. The hugely decorated Luís Castro was lured from Qatar to become their new head coach, and Palmeiras midfielder Patrick de Paula was signed for €6 million to become Fogão’s new record transfer – the record was to be smashed several times over in the impending years. 

 

A 12th-placed finish represented a steady first season, but Textor’s impact was the main story – he made it his mission to live and breathe Botafogo, regularly travelling to matches and becoming the face of the club. “I have already spent more than they asked me to,” he said in August 2022. “When you see than 10 or 20 million can take you further, you fall in love with the process and spend more. I signed players I shouldn’t have.”

 

If 2022 was steady, an earthquake was approaching in 2023. Despite a disappointing start to the year at state level, new signings took a completely transformed squad on a sensational run at the beginning of the season, beyond even Textor’s wildest dreams. Despite being regarded as outsiders at best, Fogão made the best start to a Brasileirão season by any team in history, losing just one of their first 21 matches. 

 

 

The run was frankly ridiculous. Former Porto star Tiquinho Soares was unstoppable in front of goal, whilst fellow Brazilians Lucas Perri and Adryelson starred in sensational defence which kept 10 clean sheets in its first 15 matches. A 13-point lead at the season’s halfway point table was bordering on making a mockery of the rest of the league, as a historic season seemingly took shape. 

 

However, with the side at the peak of their powers in June, boss Castro accepted an offer take over at mega-rich Al-Nassr with immediate effect. Their run continued under interim boss Claudio Caçapa, but when former Wolves and Benfica boss Bruno Lage took charge of his first match, Fogão dropped points for the first time in seven matchdays. 

 

A 2-1 home defeat to city rivals Flamengo in September was the start of a stunning slump which saw Lage’s side fall to their second, third and fourth league defeats in successive matches – Lage was sacked after they followed that up with 1-1 draw against Goiás. Textor and the club’s directors reportedly made the decision as a direct result of their players’ discontent. 

 

On November 2nd, Botafogo hosted reigning champions Palmeiras, with a place at the top of the table on offer to the winner. It was one of the most anticipated Brasileirão matches in years – and despite their unstable run of form since Castro’s departure, Fogão raced into stunning 3-0 lead in the first half, sending the home crowd into dreamland. 

 

An early second-half strike by Endrick reduced the deficit to two, before a highly-contested VAR decision saw Adryelson sent off as the game entered its late stages. On 83 minutes, with the hosts still 3-1 ahead, Soares missed a chance to make it four from the penalty spot – what followed constituted one of the most fateful nights in the club’s history. 

 

Endrick made it a brace with a stunning hit just a minute after the penalty miss, before the teenager turned provider in the last minute of normal time as Flaco López found the equaliser. Botafogo were still top of the league as it stood, but with the last kick of the game, they were knocked off the summit by Murillo in extremely dramatic fashion – 4-3 it finished. For the rest of the season, they would not return to the top spot. 

 

 

The extraordunary circumstances of the defeat – particularly the red card decision – left Textor incensed. Shortly after full time, he said live on a national broadcast: “The whole world saw it, that is not a red card. He got the ball first… this is f*cking corruption. This has to change. Ednaldo [CBF president], you need to resign for the good of the game. It needs to be over now. This is theft. Fine me, you can red card me. This is my stadium. I’ll still be here.”

 

The CBF pursued criminal action against Textor after his comments. He was also fined and suspended. But for him, this only fuelled the fire. Textor commissioned a study which claimed that “real results” adjusted for “verified error” would’ve placed Botafogo 21 points above Palmeiras. Before the season had even concluded, he submitted “advanced independent analysis” to Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice, highlighting “bias, error and manipulation.”

 

Throughout the aftermath of the extraordinary 2023 season, which indeed saw Palmeiras crowned as champions, he maintained his accusations. In public statements and interviews, he increasingly revealed details of his case. However, in March this year, the court said that Textor had failed to present evidence of manipulation. 

 

 

Another spending spree in the off-season ensured that Fogão were rejuvenated on the pitch, with the €15 million acquisition of Luiz Henrique from Real Betis leading the way. In the dugout, highly rated 52-year-old Artur Jorge was poached from Braga to be the club’s new head coach, after leading the Portuguese club to a record points total during his tenure. 

 

Things have continued to move upward. Botafogo currently sit at the top of the Brasileirão table at the time of writing, winning 14 of their 23 Brasileirão matches and qualifying for the last 16 of the Copa Libertadores, which the club has never won. In July, Fogão confirmed the blockbuster signing of Argentine starlet Thiago Almada, with the the player controversially agreeing to spend 6 months in Rio before switching to Textor-owned Lyon. 

 

But the American’s goal is more than just success for Botafogo. He has continued to denounce corruption in Brazilian football, even accusing his club’s own players of match manipulation. In an interview with Globo, he recently said: “At least one game was manipulated by Botafogo players, I believe. Which players? I’m not gonna say. They’re not in the rotation anymore.

 

“I’ve given this evidence to the prosecutor. So my message to every team owner in the world is, ‘I didn’t just point at you, I pointed at us!’ That’s how prevalent match manipulation is. Let’s stop just saying it’s Botafogo vs Palmeiras.”

 

Textor has been critical of the City Football Group’s ownership of Bahia, calling for the introduction of a salary cap, saying that “otherwise, Bahia will win the championship 17 years out of 20.” He also recently announced the production of a documentary about his club’s astonishing 2023 season, titled ‘Time to Set Fire.’

 

 

Love him or hate him, Textor has become a captivating character at the forefront of Brazilian football’s ecosystem. Whilst he is just one face in a plentiful crowd of American owners in the European game, his love affair with Botafogo has gained him the unlikely respect of many of the country’s football-crazed population. 

 

Regardless of the outcome of his legal challenge with the CBF, the bravery with which he has challenged the country’s footballing establishment has sent ripples through Brazil. Botafogo may be his primary interest, but his words make one thing clear: cheerleader or trailblazer, he is determined to be an agent for lasting change. 

 

“It took on different meaning for me last year,” he told Globo last month. “Because I knew we had to burn the house down – burn the house of corruption down for our sport here in Brazil to move forward. “The beauty of Brazil I want to show to the world cannot come with the corruption. It has to be cleansed.”

 

By: Martin Crawford / @crawford7martin

Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Vítor Silva – BFP

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