Footnotes #15: Textor has a problem, Infantino has a Cup, and Ronaldo a mission

Want to know what Ronaldo (the one from the 90's and 00's) is up to? Or the latest on the Cup World Cup soap opera? Come along and read this week’s edition of Footnotes, where I share my perspective on the latest developments in the football industry.

Here is the starting 11:

1️⃣ Lyon threatened by relegation

2️⃣ Iniesta begins a new chapter

3️⃣ My Cup, by Infantino

4️⃣ Amnesty urges FIFA to block Saudi bid

5️⃣ Ronaldo & Guardiola: a dream team for Brazil?

6️⃣ A low-cost alternative to VAR is paving its way

7️⃣ All eyes on the APT vote

8️⃣ City's breaches? Rivals want compensation but have to wait

9️⃣ Brighton restructures the scouting department

1️⃣0️⃣ Premier League’s golden TV rights

1️⃣1️⃣ The largest criminal organization in Brazil linked to Portuguese football

1️⃣ Lyon threatened by relegation

John Textor's football empire is facing another major challenge. The French football regulator has banned Lyon from making signings in the upcoming transfer window, and the club risks relegation at the end of the season if Textor does not address its financial problems. Additionally, Lyon's payroll will be under strict supervision.

For Textor, however, there is no need to panic. “You shouldn’t just look at Olympique Lyonnais, but the fact that we are a group that owns several clubs,” he said, adding, “there is no chance the club won’t cover the gap.” Lyon's global debt stands at €505 million.

“We’re going to generate several million dollars in cash over the next few months, and we’re in it for the long haul,” Textor insisted. 

He expects €200 million from the sale of his stake in Crystal Palace, around €100 million from the listing of his Eagle Football Club group on the New York Stock Exchange and €55 million from the transfer of players from Lyon.

It has been a tough road for the American entrepreneur in football. He failed to buy Benfica and Everton. His time at Crystal Palace did not go as planned, and he now faces difficulties exiting the club. Lyon missed out on the Champions League last season—although, by December, things looked much worse, with nine defeats and four draws in their first 14 Ligue 1 games. However, they did make it to the French Cup final.

In contrast, Textor is seeing success with Botafogo in Brazil. With five matches remaining, the team has a real shot at winning Serie A—if they avoid the collapse they faced last season. Also, the Rio de Janeiro club will play in the Copa Libertadores final for the first time.

Lyon's financial struggles, however, risk overshadowing his achievements elsewhere. And more than that, it could be “the beginning of the end”, considers The Athletic reporter Matt Slater.

You can read more about Lyon's financial struggles and John Textor's response in The Athletic (from November 15 and November 16) or Marca [in Spanish]

2️⃣ Iniesta begins a new chapter

Iniesta has wasted no time since retiring at 40 in October. The former Barcelona player is now co-owner of Danish third-tier club Helsingør through a partnership between NSN, the sports management company he co-founded, and the Swiss investment group Stoneweg.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to get to know football in a different way,” Iniesta said in a statement quoted by The Guardian. He will collaborate with Quim Ramón, the sporting director who has coached at Iniesta’s academy and previously worked with Barcelona's La Masia.

“It’s an incredibly exciting club with really good facilities, a lot of good people in and around the club, and potential in the city to become an important part of Danish football,” Iniesta added.

An American investment group ran Helsingør for three seasons before selling it to a Danish businessman in 2022.

3️⃣ My Cup, by Infantino

Yes, this is again about the Club World Cup, which is set to take place in the United States next summer in an expanded 32-team format.

It has been Infantino's trophy from the start. Many players don’t want it (some have even threatened to strike), clubs are sceptical (will the promised money come?), and sponsors and broadcasters are waiting (or completely indifferent).

Now, however, Gianni Infantino has claimed authorship. The new Club World Cup trophy has his name (twice) and signature engraved, with these words inscribed: “We are witness to a new age. The golden era of club football: the era of the FIFA Club World Cup. The pinnacle of all club competitions. Inspired by the FIFA president Gianni Infantino.”

Infantino is doing what he can to make it happen. In what could be seen as a desperate measure to attract sponsors, he decided last month to include Messi’s Inter Miami in the competition—even though the MLS season was still unfinished. FIFA had not previously disclosed the criteria for allocating the MLS slot.

It was not officially a wild card. Infantino justified the decision by stating that Inter Miami had been the best-performing MLS team up to that point, finishing the regular season as Eastern Conference leaders with 74 points—10 more than LAFC in the West.

Meanwhile, Inter Miami has been eliminated in the playoffs round of 16 after losing to Atlanta United, which barely qualified in 9th place and had to survive a play-in game (that they won on penalties) to face Inter Miami. This defeat is “an embarrassment” for FIFA, wrote Martyn Ziegler in The Times.

Messi, Suarez, Busquets, and Jordi Alba will represent Inter Miami at the Club World Cup anyway. Mitch Phillips of Reuters called it a “prescient” move by the FIFA president. 

You can read more in The Times.

4️⃣ Amnesty urges FIFA to block Saudi bid

Moving on to another of Infantino’s controversies, next month will be crucial in determining whether Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup. While surprises are unlikely, human rights organizations and activists urge FIFA to reconsider the decision.

Amnesty International has joined forces with the Sport & Rights Alliance, calling the football’s governing body to halt the process. Without intervention, they warn of “severe and widespread” human rights abuses.

“There will be a real and predictable human cost to awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without obtaining credible guarantees of reform,” said Steve Cockburn, Amnesty's head of labour rights and sport, quoted by Reuters.

“Fans will face discrimination, migrant workers will face exploitation, and many will die,” Cockburn continued. “FIFA must halt the process until proper human rights protections are in place to avoid worsening an already dire situation.”

FIFA, however, says it is “implementing thorough bidding processes for the 2030 and 2034 editions of the FIFA World Cup” and that evaluation reports will be published ahead of its extraordinary Congress on December 11.

For 2030, only Saudi Arabia has submitted a bid, while 2034 has a single joint proposal from Portugal, Spain, and Morocco.

5️⃣ Ronaldo & Guardiola: a dream team for Brazil?

Time flies, and 22 years have passed since Brazil last won the World Cup in 2002. What a team it was: Ronaldo O Fenómeno, Ronaldinho Gaúcho, Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos, Cafu, and others—Kaka on the bench.

Not to diminish the talent of Vinicius Junior, Raphinha, Savio, and company—they are top players—but comparing this current squad to the 2002 superstar lineup wouldn’t be fair. But Brazil is Brazil, and there’s always hope for a 6th title.

How? What if Ronaldo were the one to help Brazil become world champions once again? According to the Spanish newspaper Sport [in Spanish], that's the idea. The former player, now owner of La Liga’s Valladolid, is reportedly interested in taking the top job at the Brazilian Football Federation in 2026—and with plans to bring along his former Barcelona teammate, Guardiola, Sport reports.

Ronaldo Nazário, who already sold his stake in Brazilian club Cruzeiro earlier this year, would also have to sell his share in Valladolid.

6️⃣ A low-cost alternative to VAR is paving its way

FIFA wants to extend the trials of Football Video Support (FVS), a low-cost alternative to VAR that allows coaches to challenge the referees' decisions.

The governing body tested the system this year at two international tournaments—the U20 and U17 FIFA Women’s World Cups—and FIFA has requested an extension of the trial period from the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the guardians of football’s rules, where FIFA holds only half of the votes.

Pierluigi Collina, chairman of FIFA's referees' committee, highlighted the system’s potential for leagues with limited resources, requiring no more than four cameras. “If IFAB gives permission, next year there will be several competitions using FVS," he said.

This system’s philosophy is similar to that of the NBA or NFL—decisions challenged by coaches, with limits—but unlike those examples, here, the final call is made solely by the main referee.

More details on ESPN.

7️⃣ All eyes on the APT vote

There is high anticipation to know how the Premier League clubs will vote on November 22 regarding the Associated Party Transactions (APT) rules.

It could have huge implications. Will clubs gain more freedom, allowing them to secure more lucrative sponsorships? According to The Times, this is what the Premier League is proposing.

This vote follows the ongoing battle between Manchester City and the Premier League, which took a turn last month. An independent tribunal considered that some regulations did not comply with the law, particularly regarding handling interest-free loans from shareholders.

The new amendments will require a majority of 14 clubs to pass.

For further details, read it on The Times and FootBiz.

8️⃣ City's breaches? Rivals want compensation but have to wait

While the Premier League believes there could be a quick implementation of APT amendments, another ongoing issue involving Manchester City may take years.

Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Tottenham have taken legal steps to safeguard their right to claim compensation if the court proves that Manchester City broke the Premier League’s financial rules—the 115 alleged breaches. 

The Times explains why this process could drag on for years, and Footbiz points out that when Everton was charged with breaches two years ago, five English clubs (Leeds, Leicester, Nottingham Forest, Burnley, and Southampton) took similar legal steps. Despite Everton being found guilty and losing eight points, the rivals' claims never moved forward.

9️⃣ Brighton restructures the scouting department

Brighton & Hove Albion is restructuring its scouting department, letting go of three staff members, with others potentially being reassigned, as reported by The Telegraph.

The club, known for its reliance on data to identify talent—having successfully profited from the sales of players like Caicedo, Mac Allister, and Cucurella—plans to make new appointments to bring the recruitment team back to its previous size.

Currently, Brighton sits 6th in the Premier League, equal on points with 3rd-place Chelsea.

1️⃣0️⃣ Premier League’s golden TV rights

Thai telecom company Jasmine International has secured broadcasting rights for the Premier League and FA Cup in Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos for three seasons starting in 2025-26, with an option to extend for another three years.

The deal, valued at around $560 million (€528 million) for six years—€93.3 million per season—highlights the Premier League's appeal. 

For comparison, the French Ligue 1 recently received €80 million annually for all its international rights, while the Dutch Eredivisie earned €15 million and Liga Portugal is receiving €8 million.

You can read more on SportBusiness.

1️⃣1️⃣ The largest criminal organization in Brazil linked to Portuguese football

Businessmen suspected of ties to Brazil’s Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) reportedly attempted to buy shares in several Portuguese football clubs over the past year. An investigation by Público [in Portuguese] revealed they tried to acquire stakes in third-tier clubs Varzim and Vilaverdense, and second-tier Felgueiras, before settling on Fafe from Liga 3.

Thank you for reading!

Vítor Rodrigues Oliveira