Rui Pinto, the creator of the Football Leaks website, has stated that FIFA president Gianni Infantino “should have no place in the future of the game.” Pinto, who was instrumental in providing the documentation that triggered the Premier League’s investigation into Manchester City, levelled these criticisms in a message posted on X.
Manchester City recently faced a guilty verdict for breaching Premier League financial regulations over a nine-year duration. While the club maintains its innocence and has until 2 October to launch an appeal, the ongoing scrutiny stems directly from documents made public by Pinto in 2018 via the German outlet Der Spiegel and a parallel inquiry by UEFA.
In his latest statement, the 37-year-old Portuguese hacker alleged that Infantino—who has been in office since 2016—abused his authority during his time as UEFA general secretary. Pinto claims that Infantino intervened to assist Manchester City and Paris St-Germain in avoiding severe financial fair play sanctions. According to Der Spiegel, these clubs allegedly inflated sponsorship deals, and documents indicate Infantino facilitated more lenient punishments in 2014. Back in 2014, there was a man who was already aware of the irregularities involving Manchester City,” 37-year-old Portuguese Pinto wrote on Wednesday. Then Uefa general secretary, abused his authority, shared confidential documents and, in short, outmanoeuvred the investigatory chamber, doing everything in his power to ensure that both Manchester City and PSG would merely receive a fine, avoiding a deeper investigation that could have led to a Champions League ban, the infamous Gianni Infantino.
When these claims first emerged years ago, UEFA defended the general secretary’s role, noting that assisting in such matters was within his remit. This included “discussions, meetings, assistance to help find solutions, and other interactions to assist the investigating body in its work,” the governing body explained. Infantino has consistently defended his actions, stating his role involved exchanging ideas and documents to defend football’s interests, maintaining he acted in full compliance with sports regulations. Having conversations, exchanging documents, drafts, ideas, whatever, on many, many, many, many, topics, infantino similarly pointed to how his “job entails having discussions. So if then this is being portrayed as something bad, I think there’s not much I can do more than my job in an honest way, in a professional way and trying to defend the interests of football.
In 2014, Paris St-Germain denied all allegations regarding their financial conduct, asserting that they had always acted in full compliance with laws established by sports institutions. At the time, the club emphasized that it had been among the most scrutinized teams since the introduction of Financial Fair Play rules.
Pressure is mounting on Infantino beyond the hacker’s allegations. The Swiss Football Association (SFV) recently withdrew its support for the FIFA president, stating that recent developments have raised fundamental questions regarding governance, leadership, and transparency within the organization. This decision follows a comprehensive reassessment of events over the past several months.
Furthermore, UEFA has previously accused Infantino of “criminal mismanagement” linked to the FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme. These pressures arrive alongside the fallout from plans—since abandoned—to sell stakes in the World Cup.
Despite this climate of criticism, Infantino is slated to stand for election for a fourth term in March 2027. Potential opponents have until 18 November to nominate an alternative candidate. FIFA has been contacted for comment regarding Pinto’s most recent public remarks.
