Manchester City could be facing another scandal as Rui Pinto, the hacker behind the Football Leaks scandal, threatens to release hundreds of damning club emails and documents. Pinto claims that these new papers will show that City deliberately cheated Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. The club has already been charged with 115 breaches by the Premier League for alleged financial irregularities.
Pep Guardiola’s side is accused of concealing payments through third parties by disguising them as sponsorship revenue. However, City denies all charges and any wrongdoing. Pinto, who gained access to thousands of the club’s emails in 2018, has kept hold of most of the documents and is now preparing to release them. Some of the evidence that will be used in the Premier League hearing is believed to come from Football Leaks.
Pinto, who is currently in a witness protection program, stated that the released documents from City showed money being paid into the club that was not mentioned to football authorities. He has handed five hard drives containing millions of documents, including more information on City, to French and German authorities. Pinto is confident that these documents will reveal criminal relevancy.
A legal representative for Pinto confirmed that they have a massive file of Manchester City-related documents that has yet to be released. While they cannot provide an exact timeline, they intend to publish these files at some point. It is worth mentioning that Pinto has received anonymous death threats since the Football Leaks scandal and European football clubs have been investigating him.
Pinto’s actions previously resulted in UEFA imposing a two-year European ban on City for breaking FFP rules, although the club successfully overturned this suspension. The hacker also exposed details about salaries, tax evasion, and transfers of various football stars. In 2018, he leaked plans to form the European Super League. Pinto received a suspended sentence for illegally accessing confidential information on Paris Saint-Germain.
Manchester City has expressed surprise at the pending FFP investigation and welcomes an independent commission to review the evidence in support of the club’s position. They hope that this matter can be resolved once and for all.
In conclusion, Manchester City is once again embroiled in controversy as the hacker behind the Football Leaks scandal threatens to release damning documents. The allegations of deliberate cheating of FFP rules could have serious implications for the club. It remains to be seen how the Premier League and the authorities will handle this situation and what impact it will have on City’s reputation.