It is no coincidence that the Reebok won the competition to become the sports equipment supplier of the Botafogo. The brand’s current owner, Canadian entrepreneur Jamie Salter, is also a partner of John Textor in Eagle Football Holdings. The company holds a minority share of the crystal palacein addition to holding 90% of SAF Botafogo, 80% of Molenbeekthe Belgian second division team, and have took control of Lyon, from France, in June.

Under the agreement, Botafogo will have Reebok as sports equipment supplier for three seasons. The club had a provisional outfit, without branding, since March, when Kappa had left the club. During this period, it was speculated that the competition would be between Reebok and adidas.

In Brazil, RB Brasil Artigos Esportivos is the manager of Reebok and will be responsible for supplying the kit to the Rio club.

Brand management

Salter, through his company Authentic Brands Group (ABG), purchased Reebok from Adidas itself in August last year. He paid $2.5 billion for the sports equipment brand which was acquired by the German company in 2006 for $3.8 billion.

“We have had our eyes set on Reebok for many years. The brand not only holds a special place in the minds and hearts of consumers around the world, but also enjoys wide global distribution.

ABG specializes in brand and celebrity management. In addition to Reebok, the company owns Forever 21 and Sports Illustrated. In the celebrity world, he owns the rights to names like Marilyn Monroe, Mohamed Ali and Elvis Presley, among others.

Lyon purchase

When negotiating his boldest acquisition in football, the 66.56% stake in Lyon, one of France’s most traditional clubs, John Textor had financial help from Salter to carry out the operation.

In order for the transaction to be concluded, Textor also had a line of credit of 523 million euros with Cannae, from the investor Bill Foley, also owner of the Vegas Golden Knightsa franchise that challenges NHL (ice hockey league). Part or all of the investment can be converted into shares of Eagle Football, Textor’s company, in which Salter is also a partner.