Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings group has stakes in a number of clubs, including Brazil’s Botafogo and France’s Olympique Lyonnais, and had described Marinakis as an effective ‘partner’ during an interview with Botafogo fans channel Canal do TF.
Marinakis owns Forest, Greek giants Olympiacos and Portuguese side Rio Ave, and the two men have swapped a number of players in recent seasons.
“A lot of those numbers (transfer fees) will be thrown around… sometimes it’s part of making adjustments because in a lot of situations you’re dealing with that particular friend,” Textor said, using the example of striker Igor Jesus, who joined Forest from Botafogo this summer.
The comments immediately raised questions about how such “adjustments” fit within financial fair play frameworks – especially given the high-profile sale of Forest’s Moussa Niakhaté to Textor’s Lyon in July 2024 for €34 million, a deal that played a role in avoiding Premier League sanctions.
Speaking to The Times, Textor insisted that the controversy stemmed from a “clumsy translation”, insisting that the practice he was referring to was “not unusual at all”. “Every deal is a negotiation,” he said. “If you adjust the negotiation of a transfer fee, it is not the same as adjusting a transfer fee.”
He rejected claims of improper coordination with Marinakis. “What I object to is people saying there is a sinister relationship between me and Marinakis because people are going after him,” he said.
His spokesperson went further in his comments to The Athletic, arguing that Textor was simply describing “a relationship with an established trading partner” and emphasizing that Eagle’s transfers had “always been carried out in accordance with applicable regulations”.
Yet the relationship between the two owners has already come to light in legal proceedings.
Lawyers for Crystal Palace referred to it in their submission to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in July, when they challenged their relegation from the Europa League due to Textor’s dual involvement with Lyon and Palace – a vacancy that was eventually filled by Marinakis’ Forest.
The Premier League told The Athletic that all transfers are subject to a fair market value assessment and that no deals involving Forest or Palace have been flagged.
Textor, for his part, is keen to reshape the story. “What if I have a strategy where I create a pathway; a regular pathway from Brazil to the Premier League?” he asked.
Contact the author of this story, Harry Ewing, at force.l1764848886laboratory1764848886ofdlr1764848886are1764848886sni@g1764848886it’s him.1764848886year1764848886
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