After achieving the historic Copa Libertadores-Brazilian Championship double, the Botafogo club, owned by John Textor, is on the verge of crisis. His coach Artur Jorge will leave the club for Qatar, while a series of other players are also leaving.
After the triumphs, chaos. If Botafogo made Brazilian history by achieving the Copa Libertadores-Brazilian Championship double during the 2024 season, the future looks much less brilliant for John Textor's Brazilian club. Coach Artur Jorge has already announced his departure, while other players are expected to follow…
Indeed, Globoesporte reports that Artur Jorge, the Portuguese coach at the head of Botafogo since the start of the season, will take over the management of Al-Rayyan in Qatar, after the Qatari team executed its termination clause two million euros. Negotiations between the coach and the Brazilian club broke down after Artur demanded an increase in his salary following last season's successes. In the absence of an offer from Botafogo, the Portuguese will leave for Qatar.
Many departures and tensions
At dawn on Saturday morning, John Textor posted a photo on Instagram alongside Botafogo employees promising in the caption “the return of key Botafogo players for 2025”. But Artur Jorge and his staff were not in the photo. He and the rest of management were reportedly annoyed that Artur Jorge, under contract until December 2025, never announced he was staying during interviews.
This will not be the only departure in sight for Botafogo: Thiago Almada will join Olympique Lyonnais, which also belongs to John Textor. The Argentinian's departure will be accompanied by those of Tchê Tchê, Marçal, Andryelson and Rafael, which means that Botafogo will have to invest during the transfer window, if the club wants to maintain its ambitions. The Brazilian club is currently suffering a bitter 0-3 defeat against Pachuca in the quarter-final of the Intercontinental Cup on December 11.
