Why John Textor Banned from Botafogo Matches? Reason Revealed

Sportsdunia Desk

Published - Apr 24, 2026, 10:32 AM

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Why John Textor Banned from Botafogo Matches? Reason Revealed

Summary

American businessman John Textor was stripped of the control of Botafogo’s SAF with immediate effect by the Arbitration Court of the Getulio Vargas Foundation.
The former Crystal Palace owner has now been banned from attending the club's games that take place at Estadio Nilton Santos.
Textor had aimed to create a multi-club ownership model similar to the City Football Group, but failed miserably to achieve his goals

Former Botafogo owner John Textor has been officially banned from attending the Brazilian Serie A side's matches. The decision was announced after his holding company Eagle Holdings was stripped of the control of Botafogo’s SAF with immediate effect by the Arbitration Court of the Getulio Vargas Foundation.

The verdict was reached after the court decided that Textor's two recent actions have the potential to cause "irreparable damage" to the shareholders and the entire Botafogo fan community. The American businessman had submitted a filing last Tuesday, intending to start a judicial reorganization process for the SAF. He had also signed the Purchase and Sale Agreement in January, transferring Eagle Bidco’s ownership stake in Botafogo SAF to a company in the Cayman Islands.

Why Was John Textor Banned From Botafogo Matches?

Botafogo owner Textor was banned from attending Botafogo games, as the current financial stress felt by the Brazilian club happened under his ownership and fans of the club are upset with his recent actions. While no new owner of Botafogo's SAF has yet been announced by the Arbitration Court of the Getulio Vargas Foundation, the hope is that the coming days will bring some much-needed clarity.

As per the ruling, the judges noted that the measures taken so far are insufficient to prevent new decisions by SAF, now exclusively made by Mr. John Textor, and it is essential that new measures are in place to prevent him from acting against the interests of the shareholders. The ruling stated:

“In these terms, the Arbitration Tribunal, on a purely conservatory basis, ORDERS the automatic and immediate removal of Mr. John Charles Textor from the administration of SAF Botafogo, which will be subject to re-analysis after the Company's statement is submitted on April 29, 2026. Along these lines, the Arbitration Tribunal also ORDERS the cancellation of the Extraordinary General Meeting, scheduled for a second call on April 27, 2026, until further notice by the Company's new management.”

What Will Happen Next With John Textor and Botafogo?

The next steps are still going to take some time in terms of finding a new owner, as the decision to remove Textor will be reviewed again next Wednesday, 29th April 2026, with statements from all the parties involved. It will be interesting where this saga heads next and whether fans will be able to save Botafogo once again, as they did back in 2022, from financial ruin.