According to information disclosed by The Telegraph, Bruno Lage, former coach of Botafogo, announced his intention to take legal action against John Textor, a central figure in the Eagle Football group. The Portuguese technician seeks compensation in the amount of EUR 6 million, justifying his claim by a presumed agreement between the two parties. This legal case is in addition to a series of difficulties encountered by the Eagle Football Group, including financial problems related to Eagle’s accounts, complications in obtaining the professional license of Molenbeek’s club in Belgium and the threat of administrative demotion of Olympique Lyonnais.

The origin of the dispute lies in unfulfilled promises made to Mr.Lage after his departure from Botafogo in 2023. John Textor would have pledged to offer him a position at Olympique Lyonnais or Crystal Palace, but this prospect apparently did not succeed. The alleged agreement between the two men stipulated the obligation for Eagle Football to propose a fixed-term contract of two years and a net annual salary of 3.6 million euros for Mr. Lage and his team, with financial compensation provided for failure to comply with this obligation before 24 April 2024.

In response to this legal action, Eagle Football referred to a “dispute concerning the interpretation of an agreement between Eagle and Mr. Lage”, claiming that Mr. Lage’s voluntary departure from his management position constituted a violation of that agreement. The group also expressed surprise that the former coach described his departure as a unilateral break, thus pointing to a divergence in interpretation of terms and contractual obligations.