Former Crystal Palace owner John Textor has secured a temporary High Court injunction preventing London-based administrators from selling his 90 per cent stake in Brazilian football club SAF Botafogo, marking the latest development in a multi-jurisdiction legal battle over control of the shares.

The ruling, issued on Wednesday by Judge Mark Pelling KC, blocks administrators from disposing of the Botafogo shares until at least 9 September, when the case is scheduled to return to court. The injunction adds another layer of complexity to Textor's unraveling multi-club football empire, which once spanned across Europe and South America and made him one of the most prominent figures in the increasingly scrutinised world of multi-club ownership.

Background: Insolvency and Parallel Lawsuits

The dispute stems from the insolvency of Textor's UK holding company, Eagle Football Holdings Bidco, which was seized by its main creditor — US investment firm Ares Capital Corporation — and placed under the control of administrators from London insolvency firm Cork Gully in March. The administrators promptly began seeking buyers for the Botafogo shares held within the insolvent entity.

Textor has since launched parallel lawsuits across England, the United States, and Brazil in an effort to reclaim his shares. He alleges that Bidco breached its contract by failing to pay him for the shares following the insolvency event.

A Shift in the Legal Landscape

A Brazilian court had previously denied Textor's request for an injunction. However, Judge Pelling found that circumstances had since changed materially, noting that the administrators had withdrawn a formal undertaking not to sell the shares.

"There is now an implied risk the shares will be disposed of sooner rather than later," Pelling said.

In April, a Brazilian Arbitration court also removed Textor from his position on SAF Botafogo's leadership board.

Administrators Absent from Proceedings

Eagle Football Holdings Bidco has not participated in any of the English legal proceedings. Its sole communication with the court has been a letter asserting that the injunction would not risk breaching any potential sale contracts.

Judge Pelling described the company's absence as a "difficulty," noting that the court was compelled to rely on Textor's account that the shares remain unpaid — a factor that weighed in favour of granting the injunction.

In a statement published on his website, Textor said: "If Eagle Football Holdings Bidco continues to elect not to appear [in legal proceedings], and not to defend or oppose [my] claims, then intermediate measures (such as injunctions) will be less important, and it should be only a matter of time when Textor's claims of ownership prevail through the full proceedings and Textor is re-established as the owner of SAF Botafogo."

Cork Gully, Eagle Football Holdings Bidco, and John Textor were contacted for comment. Ares Capital Corporation declined to comment.