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On Saturday, Brazilian club Botafogo enjoyed the greatest night in their storied existence, banishing the demons of 120 years to win the Copa Libertadores for the very first time. Standing at the heart of the celebrations for Botafogo’s continental triumph was an American who can’t seem to escape the headlines these days. Businessman John Textor has received mixed reviews over the past months as his ownership of Crystal Palace and his intended ownership of Everton gets put under the microscope. Palace co-owner since 2021, Textor made no secret of his desire to buy Everton earlier this year intending to insert the Toffees into his portfolio of clubs that includes Lyon and Rio de Janeiro-based Botafogo. Planning to sell his 45% stake in Palace in order to complete the purchase, the deal has since fallen through but Textor continues to stay in the British news as he now looks at possible Championship club to buy. Meanwhile, Textor’s Lyon venture has already been steeped in disappointment. One of the greatest Ligue 1 clubs of the modern era, Lyon have been provisionally relegated to the French second tier due to financial issues. Textor is now the majority shareholder after fully taking over from longtime owner Jean-Michel Aulas and there have even been rumors that he will have to sell much of the rest of his portfolio to keep the club moving in the right direction and out of the dire situation they find themselves in. Yet, above all, in the fascination of his multi-club model and public efforts to buy Everton, it’s perhaps his least publicised football venture that’s had the most success - and perhaps the most intriguing story. One of Brazil’s oldest clubs, Botafogo have won two domestic league titles in their history, the most recent of those coming in 1995. Since then, they fell into a slide that turned into a collapse as attendances declined and success on the pitch disappeared. In 2022, Textor arrived, determined to turn the fourth-biggest club in Rio de Janeiro back to the heights they had reached more than 50 years earlier. with the likes of Brazilian legend Garrincha in their ranks. Now, two years later, Botafogo have not only gotten back to those heights, they’ve reached a pinnacle they had never achieved by winning South America’s biggest competition for the first time in their more than a century of existence. But the journey has hardly been simple or seamless. Botafogo entered the 2024 Copa Libertadores through the qualifying phase after coming 5th in the Brazilian Serie A, their highest finish since 2015. But while that sounds good, it was really a disaster. Through the first 21 games of the league season, Botafogo had consolidated a seismic lead at the top of the table, losing just twice and winning 16 times. And then they collapsed. Remarkably, they won just two of their final 17 league matches, not only ceding the title but finishing 5th. That horrific run included zero wins in the final 11 games and the disastrous end of the season truly exploded in November - with nine games remaining. Barely clinging on to first-place, Botafogo hosted Palmeiras, the team who would eventually finish on top. Leading 3-0, it seemed certain that Botafogo would be taking a huge step towards a first league title in nearly 30 years. Textor’s team then missed a penalty, had a man sent off, and conceded goals in the 89th and 98th minutes to end up losing 4-3. They never recovered and Textor refused to accept his team’s fate. In the immediate aftermath, the owner gave a heated and very quickly viral interview on the pitch. “The whole world saw it, that is not a red card, ” he said. “He got the ball first. If it’s even a foul, I’m not sure. It’s not a red card and he changed the game. An outspoken rant followed, including allegations of corruption towards the league that ended with Textor taking the case to the Superior Court of Sports Justice in Brazil. Again, the answer he received was not what he hoped for. An independent auditor’s report stated that Textor had unfairly smeared the reputations of numerous teams, players, and referees in the league. The report recommended that Textor be fined $370, 000 and banned for six years. But while that case remains ongoing, Textor has gotten success on the field. Not only did Botafogo take down fellow Brazilian club Atletico Mineiro to win the Copa Libertadores - while getting a second minute red card - but they are also on the brink of completing the challenge they failed with last season. With two games left in the season, Botafogo have a three point lead at the top of the Serie A table and this time around seem to be holding their nerve, last losing in August to place themselves on the brink of an historic double. Textor has a complex relationship with Crystal Palace and his desire to keep the South London side as part of a web of other clubs. A deal for Everton looks unlikely and Lyon appear to be a club in one of the deeper crises in the world of football. However at Botafogo, the American is on the brink of building something special, at least in the short-term. © 2024 talk SPORT Limited
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