Rui Pinto on City case: “It crowns my Football Leaks work” | OneFootball

Rui Pinto, the creator of Football Leaks, reacted to the information that Manchester City had been found guilty on 114 of the 115 charges related to alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations. The Portuguese hacker highlighted the role of his revelations and predicted deep consequences for the English club, describing the outcome as “A historic decision for English football”.

It was on the social network X that Rui Pinto marked, this Friday, a moment he believes validates the work carried out through Football Leaks. In a hard-hitting message, he framed the case as an issue of competitive integrity and not merely a dispute over technical compliance with financial rules.

Commenting on the decision, Rui Pinto neither hid his satisfaction nor softened his view of the conduct attributed to Manchester City. For the Portuguese, this is the culmination of whistleblowing work that exposed mechanisms designed to get around the rules.

“A historic decision for English football, one that crowns the work I carried out through Football Leaks. Today, we all know that, through structural manipulation and financial maneuvers, Manchester City did not merely get around the rules; they turned them into a mere formality, challenging any attempt to preserve the integrity of the competition,” he wrote. “This meticulously orchestrated fraud will finally be subject to punishment, and the impact will not be merely turbulent, but truly devastating for the ‘Cityzens’. Ironically, I cannot help but remember Pep Guardiola’s words at his first press conference as City manager: ‘Fasten your seatbelts’”.

The message directly links the work of Football Leaks to the case and places the eventual punishment at the center of the debate. The final reference to Pep Guardiola adds an ironic tone to a reaction marked by the conviction that the revelations played a decisive role.

According to sources familiar with the case, cited by The Athletic, Manchester City was found guilty on 114 of the 115 charges related to alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations. The case, which has dragged on for several years, now enters a decisive phase, although the sanctions have not yet been determined and the club is expected to appeal.

The situation therefore remains open as to the concrete consequences. All possibilities provided for in the regulations are on the table, but there is still no formally defined sporting penalty.

The charges were brought in February 2023 and cover, among other aspects, the alleged submission of incorrect financial information and compliance with the Premier League’s financial rules between 2009 and 2018. The case was reviewed by an independent commission after a hearing that ended in December 2024.

The timespan involved and the variety of issues under review help explain the complexity of the case. The decision that has now emerged does not bring the process to a close: it now shifts attention to the sanctions and the appeal mechanisms.

Manchester City continues to contest the charges and insists that the procedure has still not reached its end. In a statement conveyed to The Athletic, the club sought to prevent any definitive reading.

The Premier League case “remains ongoing”, Manchester City said, stressing that there are still significant elements yet to be concluded and that the procedure is subject to confidentiality.

The club’s position contrasts with the celebratory tone adopted by Rui Pinto. Between the view of a historic outcome and the insistence that the process is still ongoing, the next chapter remains to be seen: the decision on the punishment, followed by the assessment of any possible appeals.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.