The hacker behind the explosive Football Leaks scandal has threatened to release a trove of Manchester City emails and documents, asserting they will prove the club deliberately breached Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. Rui Pinto, who accessed thousands of City emails and leaked many to the media in 2018, claims he has provided authorities in Germany and France with millions of documents showing “criminal relevancy.”
Rui Pinto, 35, has been under witness protection since 2020. Despite being handed a four-year suspended sentence by a Portuguese court last year for attempted extortion and illegal data access, he avoided prison time. Pinto is believed to retain most documents related to the City’s financial activities. Previously, he leaked crucial details about the club’s sponsorship income and former manager Roberto Mancini’s contract.
Manchester City vehemently denied any wrongdoing but are set to face a hearing on their 115 Premier League charges for alleged financial irregularities this autumn. The club has been accused of disguising payments through third parties as sponsorship revenue, which constitutes a blatant FFP breach.
Pinto’s Latest Revelations about Manchester City
Speaking from his safehouse via video link at the Offshore-Alert Marbella Conference, Pinto said, “The Man City releases showed amounts of money being paid into by the club that were not mentioned to the football authorities. These documents are part of the Premier League investigation into City. I have now handed five hard drives to French and German authorities with millions of documents, including more on City, and I have described what is on each. I am confident they will find criminal relevancy.”
A legal representative for Pinto added, “We have been approached by investigators to share information regarding Manchester City that has not been released before. We haven’t released the information yet, but we have a massive file of Manchester City-related documents that has yet to be released. The files will be published at some point, we cannot say when, but we will do it.”
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Pinto’s past leaks led to UEFA imposing a shocking two-year European ban on City in 2020 for breaking financial restrictions, along with a fine of nearly £25 million. However, City overturned their suspension at the Court of Arbitration for Sport after being cleared of “disguising equity funds as sponsorship contributions.” They were accused of breaching FFP between 2012 and 2016.
Manchester City’s 115 FFP Charges
Manchester City’s charges include:
- 54 counts of failing to provide accurate financial information (2009-10 to 2017-18)
- 14 counts of failing to provide accurate details for player and manager payments (2009-10 to 2017-18)
- 5 counts of failing to comply with UEFA’s FFP rules (2013-14 to 2017-18)
- 7 counts of breaching Premier League’s PSR rules (2015-16 to 2017-18)
- 35 counts of failing to cooperate with Premier League investigations (December 2018 – February 2023)
In response to the pending FFP investigation, City stated they were “surprised” and launched a staunch defense. The club said, “The club welcomes the review of this matter by an independent Commission, to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position. As such, we look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all.”
