Hacker threatens to prove Man City’s FFP breach as Liverpool watches on

Renowned football hacker Rui Pinto has threatened to release Manchester City emails and documents that he says will prove the club broke Financial Fair Play rules.

City was hit with 115 charges by the Premier League for alleged financial irregularities. The club has denied any wrongdoing, with a hearing expected to take place later this year.

Liverpool and the rest of the Premier League are waiting for the outcome, with any potential punishment for City set to have a major effect on the landscape of English football. It seems more evidence could emerge soon.

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Pinto, who was behind the Football Leaks scandal that saw UEFA hit City with a two-year European ban that was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, alleges that he has provided authorities in Germany and France with ‘millions’ of documents, having gained access to the club’s emails.

The 35-year-old claims the documents show ‘criminal relevancy’. Pinto previously leaked details of City’s sponsorship income, including information on former manager Roberto Mancini’s contract.

Pinto has been in witness protection since 2020. He was found guilty of attempted extortion and illegal access to data in Portugal, but avoided jail after being handed a four-year suspended sentence.

“The Man City releases showed amounts of money being paid into by the club that were not mentioned to the football authorities,” Pinto told the OffSHore-Alert Marbella Conference from his safehouse (via the Daily Mail).

“These documents are from part of the Premier League investigation into City. I have now handed five hard drives to French and German authorities with millions of documents, including more on City and I have described what is on each. I am confident they will find criminal relevancy.”

A legal representative for Pinto added: “We have been approached by investigators to share information regarding Manchester City that has not been released before.

“We haven’t released the information yet but we have a massive file of Manchester City-related documents that has yet to be released. The files will be published at some point, we cannot say when but we will do it.”

Responding to the Premier League’s investigation, City said in a statement: “The club welcomes the review of this matter by an independent Commission, to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position. As such we look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all.”