Igor Jesus at the center of Botafogo cash transfer questions after €23m Forest payment
igor jesus is back at the heart of a fast-moving financial dispute around Botafogo’s John Textor-era transactions, after details resurfaced about a June 2025 payment from Nottingham Forest and a next-day loan to Lyon. Botafogo received €23 million from Nottingham Forest on June 4, 2025, and lent €25. 5 million to Lyon on June 5, 2025. The sequence is fueling renewed scrutiny over how money moved inside the Eagle Football structure, with questions also hanging over what Botafogo says it is still owed by the French club.
Money trail: Forest deposit, then a larger loan to Lyon
The key timeline centers on two consecutive days in June 2025: a €23 million deposit from Nottingham Forest to Botafogo on June 4, followed by Botafogo lending €25. 5 million to Lyon on June 5. The Nottingham Forest deposit included €19 million tied to igor jesus, plus €1 million for Cuiabano and €3 million for Jair.
The same set of transactions is described as part of a broader, confusing set of operations under John Textor’s management. Beyond the named player amounts, the €23 million deposit is also described as compensating other operations involving Botafogo, including the departure of goalkeeper John and the arrival of midfielder Danilo.
One detail stands out in the chronology: at the time of the June 2025 transaction, John Textor was no longer leading Lyon, and the “single cash” model was, in theory, already over. Even so, the loan from Botafogo to Lyon went through, and Botafogo now says it has significant amounts to receive from the French club.
Time note: The information cited here was published with timestamps of 03/20/2026 at 11: 20 ET and updated 03/20/2026 at 14: 27 ET, with an additional publication time of 03/21/2026 at 16: 00 ET.
Immediate reactions: pressure on Textor and unresolved liabilities
In France, John Textor—owner of Eagle Football and majority shareholder of Botafogo, Lyon, and RWD Molenbeek—has faced harsh criticism over his management of Lyon, with transactions described as “fraudulent” and a debt burden said to have grown significantly during his time in charge. The criticism focuses on how deals were structured and on the unresolved status of transactions that continue to represent a real liability for the French club.
Separately, a legal claim has been disclosed involving MC Credit Partners seeking US$ 42 million connected only to the igor jesus negotiation, with the amount described as including penalties and interest estimated at 10% per month. Lyon declined to comment on a Botafogo-to-Nottingham Forest player transfer valued at 19 million euros in July of the referenced period.
Quick context: the “single cash” model and its impact on Botafogo
Botafogo’s 2026 situation is described as the result of a management model centered on a “single cash” concept that reduced financial autonomy across clubs in the holding. As the crisis intensified in France—with debts and sporting sanctions cited, along with risk of relegation—there are claims that the flow of resources inverted sharply, with large sums said to have been drained from Botafogo toward Lyon between 2024 and 2025.
What’s next for Botafogo after the igor jesus figures resurface
The immediate next development to watch is whether Botafogo clarifies the June 2025 sequence—€23 million received, then €25. 5 million lent—and how that fits with its current position that it has large sums still to collect from Lyon. With the igor jesus amount explicitly broken out inside the Nottingham Forest deposit, the pressure now shifts to formal accounting explanations of how the loan was justified when the “single cash” framework was supposed to be ending, and how outstanding receivables between the clubs will be resolved.
