Rui Pinto, the Portuguese hacker who leaked the documents which kickstarted the Premier League investigation into Manchester City, has now put FIFA President Gianni Infantino in his crosshairs with a series of staggering accusations against a figure he described as “a cancer on football.”
It was a phishing email Pinto sent to a senior official at City in January 2017 that breached the club’s servers, giving him access to thousands of emails that paved the way for the current seismic events. After allegations inspired by these leaks came to light, the Premier League launched an investigation into City’s finances which has belatedly resulted in an independent commission finding the club guilty of more than 100 breaches.
City continue to fiercely claim their innocence. An appeal has been launched.
While the Premier League and beyond speculate over the potential ramifications of this unprecedented ruling, Pinto has shifted the spotlight onto the divisive figure of Infantino.
“Back in 2014, there was a man who was already aware of the irregularities involving Manchester City,” the activist wrote on social media. “That man now runs FIFA.
“The infamous Gianni Infantino, then UEFA General Secretary, abused his authority, shared confidential documents and, in short, outmaneuvered 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. All of these details were also revealed through Football Leaks.
“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.”
What Has Gianni Infantino Been Accused of?
The Premier League’s investigation into City was not the first time that the club’s finances have come under scrutiny. All the way back in 2014, UEFA combed through their accounts—along with the finances of Paris Saint-Germain—to ascertain if either side had breached Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.
Both would eventually avoid any competition bans in place of modest monetary fines. Pinto and the German publication Der Spiegel, which was the outlet for much of the hacker’s findings, claimed that Infantino “circumvented” UEFA’s normal investigative proceedings to smooth over the conflict and arrive at this light sanction.
One of the damning documents cited in that 2018 report was an email allegedly written by Infantino and sent to Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak in May 2014, a matter of weeks before the official punishment was announced.
“Sorry for my ‘late-Friday-night email,’” Infantino is claimed to have written. “You will see that I’ve sometimes chosen a wording which ‘looks’ more ‘strong.’ Please read the document with this spirit. ... Finally, I would also like to thank you for your trust. You know you can trust me. ... Let’s be positive!”
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UEFA’s Investigatory Chamber found that City had amassed a deficit of at least €188 million ($211.8 million at current rates) during a period when only €45 million could be lost, Der Spiegel reported. However, Infantino is accused by the same publication of staging “secret talks, even supplying them with confidential materials” that led to “compromises that he was unauthorized to propose.”
The report repeatedly highlights City’s fury, referencing a hacked email allegedly written by the club’s lawyer Simon Cliff expressing Al Mubarak’s dissatisfaction with the threat of a sanction: “Khaldoon said he would rather spend 30 million on the 50 best lawyers in the world to sue them for the next 10 years.”
City reluctantly accepted their fate thanks, it is claimed, to Infantino’s intervention. “In normal circumstances, the club would wish to pursue its case and present its position through every avenue of recourse,” a Manchester City statement read at the time. “However, our decision to do so must be balanced against the practical realities for our fans, for our partners and in the interests of the commercial operations of the club.”
Others in the sport were appalled by the lenient nature of the sanctions, with Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger notably questioning why City and PSG had not been expelled from the Champions League. The head of UEFA’s Investigatory Chamber Brian Quinn also resigned before the sanction was handed out.
How Has Gianni Infantino Responded?
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