Textor removed from Eagle board as Ares tightens control

John Textor has been removed with immediate effect from his role as a director of Eagle Football Holding Bidco, as lender Ares moves to tighten control of the multi-club group that includes Olympique Lyon and Botafogo. The decision follows a fresh bout of governance tension around Lyon, where Textor was reported to have attempted to reassert influence at shareholder level by seeking the removal of two independent directors – a move that was rejected, before Eagle’s board proceeded to revoke his directorship. Ares’ intervention is linked to Eagle Football failing to meet specific financial obligations, triggering creditor protections that would end Textor’s operational command of the holding group, according to the report on the situation.Textor’s position at Botafogo is not immediately changed, but his control is described as increasingly fragile. Botafogo’s SAF structure provides a layer of legal separation from Eagle’s debt position, and any change to the club’s management would require a decision by the SAF’s own board or a change to a preliminary injunction from the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice that protects the current governance structure. Botafogo remain controlled at shareholder level by Eagle Football, but the reports said Ares’ move as creditor does not automatically translate into day-to-day control inside the Brazilian club.Textor was already sidelined from Lyon last summer after Ares, which provided financing for the acquisition of the French club, installed Michele Kang to lead Eagle Football Group as the Ligue 1 side faced heightened financial pressure. The latest developments also come with Botafogo operating under a transfer restriction, with Textor reported to have pledged to inject funds this week. No timetable was given for any further changes at Botafogo, but the reports said the question of control now centres on board-level decisions and court protections rather than any single shareholder announcement.