Football Leaks hacker threatens to release bombshell Man City emails and documents he claims will PROVE they breached FFP rules – as he insists he is ‘CONFIDENT’ authorities will ‘find criminal relevancy’
- Rui Pinto, 35, accessed and leaked thousands of City emails in 2018
- City are set for a hearing into their 115 Premier League charges this year
- Listen to It all starts! Would Portugal be better off without Cristiano Ronaldo?
The hacker behind the explosive Football Leaks scandal has threatened to release a series of Manchester City emails and documents – and is confident they will prove the club deliberately breached Financial Fair Play rules.
Rui Pinto, who gained access to thousands of city emails and leaked a large number to the media in 2018, claims he provided authorities in Germany and France with “millions” of damning documents that he claims have “criminal relevance will demonstrate.
The 35-year-old has been in a witness protection program since 2020. Last year, a court in Portugal gave him a four-year suspended sentence, but he avoided jail despite being found guilty of attempted extortion and illegal access to data.
Pinto is said to have had the majority of documents relating to City’s financial activities in his possession, but previously leaked details of the club’s sponsorship income and details of former manager Roberto Mancini’s contract.
City strongly deny any wrongdoing but are expected to face a hearing this autumn on 115 charges in the Premier League over alleged financial irregularities.
The hacker behind the Football Leaks scandal has threatened to release documents he claims will prove Manchester City deliberately broke Financial Fair Play rules
Rui Pinto gained access to thousands of city emails and leaked a large number in 2018
The club is still accused of disguising third-party payments by disguising them as sponsorship income – a blatant FFP breach.
From his safehouse, Pinto told the OffShore-Alert Marbella Conference via video link: ‘Man City’s releases showed that the club had paid sums of money that had not been reported to the football authorities.
‘These documents form part of the Premier League investigation into City. I have now handed over five hard drives to the French and German authorities containing millions of documents, including more about City, and I have described what is on each drive.
‘I am convinced that they will find criminal law relevance.’
A legal representative for Pinto added: ‘We have been contacted by investigators to share information about Manchester City that has not previously been released.
‘We haven’t released the information yet, but we have a huge file of Manchester City-related documents that have yet to be released.
City have been accused of concealing third-party payments by disguising them as sponsorship income – a blatant FFP breach (photo: owner Sheikh Mansour)
Pinto has said he is “confident” the new city documents will demonstrate “criminal relevance.”
City will face a hearing on the Premier League’s 115 charges months after winning the title
“The files will be published at some point, we can’t say when, but we will.”
Pinto’s previous leaks saw UEFA hit City with a shock two-year European ban in 2020 for breaching financial restrictions – while the club was also fined almost £25 million.
However, City overturned their ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport after they were cleared of ‘disguising share funds as sponsorship contributions’. They were accused of violating the FFP between 2012 and 2016.
City said they were ‘surprised’ by the ongoing FFP investigation.
Launching a fervent defense, they added: ‘The club welcomes the review of this case by an independent committee, which can impartially assess the extensive body of irrefutable evidence supporting its position.
“We look forward to this matter being put aside once and for all.”