Nottingham Forest could face Premier League investigation after gobsmacking news confirmed
John Textor has faced questions around his relationship with Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis over the past couple of years.
Textor and Marinakis have agreed multiple deals between their clubs, leading to suggestions they have some kind of arrangement.
Botafogo, who are owned by Textor, sold Igor Jesus, Cuiabano, Jair Cunha and John Victor to Forest in the recent summer transfer window.
Meanwhile, Forest sold Danilo to Botafogo and Matt Turner to Lyon, who are also owned by Textor.
Those deals came after Moussa Niakhate and Orel Mangala left the City Ground to join Lyon in 2024.
Which other clubs do John Textor and Evangelos Marinakis own?
Textor also owns Belgian side RWD Molenbeek through Eagle Football Holdings, while Marinakis’ portfolio includes Greek champions Olympiakos and Portuguese club Rio Ave.
There was even talk of Marinakis investing in Botafogo in recent months, but any deal is yet to materialise.
However, more questions are now being asked about the pair’s relationship following a new reveal from Textor.
In an interview with Botafogo fans on the Canal do TF YouTube channel on 28 November, the American billionaire described Marinakis as the “partner that he wanted at Crystal Palace”.
Textor sold his Crystal Palace shares to Woody Johnson over the summer in a bid to prevent the club from losing their place in the Europa League, but it proved to be too late after Uefa deemed the 60-year-old had breached its multi-club ownership rules due to his shares in Lyon, who also qualified for the competition.
Palace were demoted to the Conference League, leading to Marinakis’s Forest being promoted to the Europa League as a result.
In the interview, Textor was quizzed about why he sold Cunha to Forest for a lower transfer fee as part of his dealings with the Premier League side.
“What I would say about the Marinakis relationship is that, though we do not own Nottingham Forest and Marinakis does not own any piece of Eagle Football, he has really become the partner that we wanted to have with Crystal Palace,” replied Textor.
“It’s important, I believe, to have a strong Brazilian club, to have a strong European club, to have a strong United Kingdom club. I would like a partner in Portugal, not just in Europe.
“I might even prefer a partner in Spain more than a partner in France, but Marinakis has effectively become that partner because he has clubs in Portugal, clubs in Greece, and a club in the UK. He, more than any other owner I’ve met in the world of football, believes in Brazilian talent.”
Textor shares new admission about Nottingham Forest deals
It’s no surprise the interview has caused a stir among Palace fans after they were removed from the Europa League due to Textor’s previous involvement at Selhurst Park.
Speaking to The Times about the situation on Monday (1 December), Textor insisted talks between owners over transfer deals are “quite normal”.
“A team owner can say, ‘Give me a break on this new one, you know I overpaid for the last one, based on performance’,” said the American.
“Every deal is a negotiation, and if you desire to continue trading with a particular owner, you sometimes agree to another owner’s perception of value, sometimes forfeiting your own perception of value. These negotiations swing both ways.
“If you adjust the negotiation of a transfer fee, that’s not the same thing as adjusting a transfer fee.
“And what I object to is people saying there’s some sinister relationship between me and Marinakis because people are going after him.”
That has only added fuel to the fire and raised questions around how Palace – and the Premier League – will respond to the situation.
In response to Textor’s comments, finance expert Stefan Borson insisted the Premier League is going to “come under real pressure to investigate” the matter.
However, he added there is currently no provision within the rules for aggregating fair market value or arm’s length transactions.
Textor has been linked with moves to buy Wolves, Sheffield Wednesday and Derby County in recent weeks.
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