Rui Pinto, the individual responsible for exposing Football Leaks, has declared that he has provided French and German authorities with documents concerning Manchester City. The 35-year-old Portuguese national has been in a witness protection programme since 2020 and intends to release the documents associated with City, which he claims to have gained access to back in 2018.
During a video link from a secure location, Pinto stated, “The releases related to Manchester City revealed significant sums of money being transferred by the club without the knowledge of football authorities.” He further disclosed, “These documents form part of the Premier League’s investigation into City. I have handed over five hard drives to French and German authorities containing millions of documents, including additional information on City, with a detailed description of the contents. I am confident that they will have relevance to criminal proceedings.”
Pinto established Football Leaks in September 2015, and subsequently released documents which led to UEFA launching investigations into Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, as well as information related to the salaries of high-profile players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and Lionel Messi.
In a subsequent development, UEFA imposed a two-year ban on Manchester City from European competition, which was later overturned by the club. In 2019, Pinto was apprehended in Hungary on suspicion of “extortion and secrecy violations”. He was later found guilty by Portuguese courts in September 2023 for “attempted extortion, illegal access to data, and breach of correspondence”, receiving a four-year suspended sentence.
A member of Pinto’s legal team has stated, “We have been approached by investigators to share undisclosed information related to Manchester City. While we have not yet made the information public, we possess a substantial archive of documents connected to Manchester City that has yet to be revealed. The files will be made public at some point, although we are unable to specify when this will occur.”
Manchester City is currently facing 115 charges of alleged financial impropriety spanning from 2009 to 2018, all of which have been vehemently refuted by the club. In addition, the club has initiated legal action against the Premier League, challenging the Associated Party Transaction (APT) regulations that were introduced in December 2021 following the takeover of Newcastle United by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia.
The unfolding developments in this case are sure to have considerable repercussions within the footballing world, particularly with respect to financial transparency and the undertaking of stringent regulatory measures.