LONDON — The computer hacker whose Football Leaks disclosures triggered the Premier League investigation into Manchester City says FIFA president Gianni Infantino "should have no place in the future of the game." Rui Pinto, 37, repeated allegations from 2018 that Infantino, then UEFA general secretary, intervened to help Manchester City and Paris St-Germain avoid Financial Fair Play sanctions, as City have been found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules over a nine-year period but deny wrongdoing and have until 2 October to submit an appeal.
Pinto, creator of Football Leaks, wrote in a message on X on Wednesday: "Back in 2014, there was a man who was already aware of the irregularities involving Manchester City." He added: "The infamous Gianni Infantino, 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." Pinto concluded: "Given his actions as Uefa general secretary and, more recently, as Fifa president, I can only say, in my humble opinion, that Gianni Infantino has become a cancer on football and should have no place in the future of the game."
The allegations centre on a 2018 report by Der Spiegel, via Football Leaks, that City and PSG overvalued sponsorship deals to help meet FFP rules and that Infantino helped arrange more lenient punishments for them in 2014. PSG said at the time it "has always acted in full compliance with the laws and regulations enacted by sports institutions" and "denies the allegations," adding: "Since the introduction of Financial Fair Play, Paris St-Germain have been one of the most audited and scrutinised clubs in history." When the claims first surfaced, UEFA said it was within the remit of the general secretary to assist, noting "This may include discussions, meetings, assistance to help find solutions, and other interactions to assist the [investigating body] in its work." Infantino said at the time his "job entails having discussions, having conversations, exchanging documents, drafts, ideas, whatever, on many, many, many, many, topics," adding: "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." BBC Sport has contacted FIFA following Pinto's latest statement.
Infantino, first elected as FIFA president in 2016, has come under increasing pressure following his now-shelved plans to sell stakes in the World Cup via the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme, which UEFA accused him of "criminal mismanagement" over. The Swiss Football Association is the latest association to withdraw its support, stating: "From the SFV's perspective, various incidents raise fundamental questions regarding leadership, governance, transparency and decision-making processes within Fifa." Both FIFA and UEFA are based in Switzerland. Infantino will stand for election for a fourth time in March 2027, with opponents having until 18 November to find an alternative candidate. The Premier League investigation was launched following information released by Football Leaks in 2018 via Der Spiegel and a separate investigation by UEFA. The comments follow Man City guilty verdict leaves Premier League facing chaos earlier this week.