Palmeiras has requested Brazil’s Superior Court of Sport for Football to prevent John Textor from mentioning Palmeiras, warning of suspension and fines, the court revealed.
Textor, in an online Botafogo fan channel interview, claimed he had “heavy, heavy, heavy evidence, 100-percent proven, that Palmeiras has been the beneficiary of match-fixing.” The media and tech mogul, who acquired a 90-percent stake in Botafogo and holds significant investments in European clubs, accuses Palmeiras of corruption following their title wins and Botafogo’s loss of a 13-point lead.
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However, Textor has not provided evidence for his match-fixing claims. Ednaldo Rodrigues, president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, sued him for slander after Textor accused Palmeiras of “corruption” and “theft” in a TV interview, attributing a crucial 4-3 loss of Botafogo to these factors.
Textor defended his allegations, stating, “I’m sorry this is going to create a lot of noise, but my evidence is 100 percent. It’s going to the prosecutors, so we can just play football. I’m here to defend the honor of our club.”
He also claimed on his website that artificial intelligence and experts found “abnormal deviations” in player performances in Palmeiras’ victories against Fortaleza and Sao Paulo. Both clubs denied the allegations and are considering legal actions against Textor’s claims.
