🔥 Botafogo set 2024 alight

Hello! Welcome to the very first issue of the Brazil Sports newsletter, brought to you by The Brazilian Report. Every Saturday, we’ll take a look beyond the final scores, exploring the powerful stories and business side of Brazilian sports.

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Brazil’s unluckiest team puts an end to heartbreak streak

Last year, The Brazilian Report covered the dramatic Botafogo Bottle Job, as the traditional Rio de Janeiro football club threw away a 13 point lead at the top of the Brazilian championship in a historic collapse for one of the country’s unluckiest teams.

Twelve months on: Botafogo have sauntered to the Brazilian title, even winning the Copa Libertadores — South America’s Champions League — in the process.

Comparing the two seasons, Botafogo’s 2023 downfall began with a spectacular 3-4 loss at home to last year’s eventual champions, Palmeiras.

This year, in another decisive late-season match against Palmeiras — this time away from home, in São Paulo — Botafogo did away with any shred of doubt about their title credentials by dispatching their opponents 3-1.

For one of Brazil’s most storied clubs — the home of football idols Garrincha, Didi, Nilton Santos, Zagallo and Jairzinho — Botafogo had gone without success for too long. This was their first Brazilian title in 29 years, and their first-ever Copa Libertadores triumph.

So, how did Botafogo go from last year’s disgrace to this year’s glory?

One could be forgiven for thinking mental fortitude was the key, with the players hell-bent on righting the wrongs of 2023.

But the actual answer is much simpler: good recruitment, backed up by plenty of cash.

Between those two crucial matches against Palmeiras, separated by 12 months, only one Botafogo player (midfielder and club captain Marlon Freitas) started both games.

The Copa Libertadores Team of the Year included a jaw-dropping eight Botafogo players, but only one of them (Marlon Freitas again) was at the club in 2023.

Botafogo made big transfer moves this year. Right winger Luiz Henrique was brought in from Spanish side Real Betis for EUR 16 million (USD 16.8 million); Argentine playmaker Thiago Almada cost EUR 19.5 million — in absolute figures, the two most expensive signings ever by Brazilian clubs.

Another important addition was Portuguese coach Artur Jorge, who followed in the footsteps of his compatriots Jorge Jesus and Abel Ferreira by winning the Brazilian league and Copa Libertadores at the first time of asking.

Alas, money does not win football matches, and Botafogo have been superb value to watch for most of this season — particularly in attack. Their two technical wingers offer different threats: Luiz Henrique on the right is quick and powerful, like a bullet train erupting through opposition defensive lines, while the diminutive Venezuelan Jefferson Savarino is clever and decisive.

Young center forward Igor Jesus has been a revelation, and Thiago Almada makes the band play in tune. They were worthy winners of both tournaments.

Enter Textor

The investment required to secure double glory this year was only made possible through Botafogo’s private ownership by Eagle Football, the holding company of US businessman John Textor.

Until recently, almost all Brazilian football clubs were controlled by their members, who elected presidents for two-year terms — a model criticized for resulting in poor management and spendthrift decisions. A 2021 law allowed clubs to be run as businesses, creating a specific corporate structure (SAFs) with favorable tax rules. Investors quickly flooded in. 

Botafogo’s SAF is no straightforward arrangement, however. Textor also owns French top-flight club Lyon and Belgian side RWD Molenbeek, as well as holding a significant stake in Premier League team Crystal Palace.

While this year’s success will go down in eternity for the club, Botafogo fans have yet to see the extent of what multi-club ownership can entail.

In France, Lyon have been handed a transfer ban and face demotion over their disastrous financial situation. Textor has said publicly that he is prepared to make use of Botafogo’s assets to keep its French siblings out of trouble.

Almada has already packed his bags en route to the Rhône and others could follow suit, given Lyon’s inability to sign any new players. A sell-off of some of Botafogo’s most valuable squad members could also lighten Lyon’s liabilities.

And then there’s the coach. After Botafogo’s embarrassing Intercontinental Cup loss to Pachuca on Wednesday, Artur Jorge remained coy about his future at the club.

His contract runs until the end of 2025, but Jorge has reportedly discovered he’s earning far less than his two Portuguese predecessors at the club, Luis Castro and Bruno Lage.

He and Textor were set to hammer out contract talks this week, during the Intercontinental Cup, but the Pachuca defeat scuppered those plans. Textor was only scheduled to arrive in Doha ahead of today’s semifinal, no doubt expecting Botafogo to ease past its Mexican opponents.

Other stories we’re following

🇧🇷 FIFA confirmed the dates and qualification slots for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, to be held in Brazil. The tournament will run from June 24 until the final on July 25. 

🔎 Google unveiled Brazil’s top searches of 2024, with five sports-related terms among the top 10, including the Olympics, Copa América and, curiously, the Argentine national football team. Gold-medalist gymnast Rebeca Andrade was the country’s most searched-for sportsperson this year.

🏊 Guilherme Caribé grabbed a silver medal in the men's 100m freestyle at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships in Budapest on Thursday. The 21-year-old is one of Brazil’s most promising young sprint swimmers.

🛹 São Paulo this weekend will play host to the Super Crown finals of Street League Skateboarding, which will decide the 2024 men’s and women’s champions. Rayssa Leal is currently second in the rankings and in with a good chance of winning gold, while Brazilians Giovanni Vianna and Felipe Gustavo are automatically qualified for the men’s final on Sunday.