It’s been a long time since we’ve written anything about John Textor and his football empire. – The American billionaire started an investment company in the 90s and their biggest investment was SIMS snowboarding. – He was also heavily into eCommerce and was an early adopter of 3D technology. – He is also into BabyUniverse and Digital Domain and has worked extensively in film, including with Michael Bay and former NFL player Dan Marino.
All this is well and good, but here in Europe he is best known for being the owner of the football clubs Crystal Palace and Lyon.
Crystal Palace are on course for a change of manager
The status of John Textor and his Eagle Football empire is now marked by collapse and fragmentation. He has lost actual control of the empire due to a debt crisis, and the individual football clubs have either been sold, are heading for sale, or find themselves in a deadlocked legal dispute.
📉 The core empire: Eagle Football has lost control
In March 2026, the UK Administrative Authority put Eagle Football Holdings Bidco (the parent company of the Empire) under administration due to default on debts owed to main creditor Ares Capital, and control was stripped of Textor. The Administrator has started the process of selling the Empire’s majority shares in Botafogo (Brazil), Lyon (France) and RWDM (Belgium).
⚽ Status of the individual football clubs
- Lyon (France): Control has already changed hands. Textor left the club in the summer of 2025 due to a serious debt crisis, and control was taken over by Michele Kang. Afterwards, he has sued the club and demanded over 20 million euros, and the club, in turn, has reported him for suspicion of embezzlement and other criminal matters.
- Botafogo (Brazil): The club has sued Textor for lack of capital injection, and Textor has been removed from his position. The club has filed for legal debt reorganization (debts of around 5.5 billion kroner) and is attempting to transfer control to GDA Luma. Although Textor has been granted a temporary injunction in the UK to try to regain control, the club does not recognize this and insists that the case be decided by Brazilian courts.
- RWDM (Belgium): Has officially left the Eagle system. The club has a new owner (Thierry Dailly), but due to debts of around 20 million euros, it has lost its professional license and was relegated to the Belgian amateur division.
- Crystal Palace (England): Textor sold his shareholding a long time ago, thus also severing his connection to this Premier League club.
It is only a year ago that he was in discussions about buying Everton. – A purchase that will be difficult to carry out with creditors lagging behind him.
⚖️ Current situation
Textor vehemently denies that his empire is bankrupt, claiming that his creditors have committed “violations of the law,” and he is currently fighting several lawsuits in the UK, France, and Brazil to try to regain control. However, considering that his core assets are already under administration or have changed hands, he is highly unlikely to succeed.
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