March 22, 2022

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Dear Mr. Prochet and the people of Londrina Esporte Clube:

 

 

Please accept my sincere apology for an off-handed remark that managed to convey the exact opposite of my feelings for Londrina.  In the relative confusion of a live televised interview, in response to a question regarding the immediacy with which we would like to compete for titles, I was merely trying to explain why I chose Botafogo, a club that had just been promoted, as compared to a club (any club) that is currently playing in Serie B.

 

By mentioning Londrina as the example, it appeared that I was being dismissive of the club and its community…and I am very sorry for this implication. In fact, as you mentioned, the reason that Londrina was on the tip of my tongue, in that moment, was that I spent a great deal of time thinking about the club and the community when I first started looking into Brazil…and I was incredibly impressed with Londrina, as a well-run club, with a great history, that could likely become very important again with only a small amount of investment. I also believe Londrina to be uniquely positioned to immediately collaborate with academy programs in the United States, the United Kingdom, and broader Europe.

 

So, this is really the stupidity of my remark…in trying to make a simple point about short-term vs long-term, and the immediacy with which a recently promoted club could compete for a title, I managed to insult a very good club, in a beautiful community, that is managed by extremely capable people.

 

To be clear, I am a big fan of Londrina, and I sincerely apologize for any unintended slight of the fine people of a respected club and a vibrant community. If I could turn back time on this comment, I certainly would.

 

With my fondest regards, 

John Textor