Textor disputes Ares moves in Eagle Football governance row

John Textor has has disputed moves by investment company Ares to remove him from Eagle Football, as a governance dispute escalates around the multi-club group.Textor said conflicting filings at Companies House reflected “differing viewpoints regarding the governance of Eagle Football.”He added that he objected to what he called “frivolous documents” filed by third-party lenders and argued those filings sought to interfere with shareholder rights set out in the companies’ articles of association.Textor also claimed that Ares sent correspondence asserting it had authority to remove him as a director of Eagle Football Holdings Bidco and reappoint two former directors, which he said was “without legal foundation” and “ineffective.”Bloomberg reported that Ares had moved to oust Textor from running the football group, framing the dispute as part of a broader power struggle over Eagle Football’s operations and finances.Ares is the biggest lender in Eagle Football, after backing the €800 million takeover of Lyon in 2022. Ares has invested more than $450 million in financing, and is seeking to retrieve about $250 million in outstanding loans to Eagle.. An Ares spokesperson confirmed the change, saying the move was consistent with “enforcing its legal protections to stabilize and preserve the value of Ares’ investment and support the operations of Eagle Bidco and its clubs.”