Rui Pinto says Infantino 'should have no place' in future of football
Rui Pinto, the creator of Football Leaks, said on X on Wednesday that Fifa president Gianni Infantino "has become a cancer on football and should have no place in the future of the game" after repeating allegations about Infantino's conduct from 2018.
Pinto, a 37-year-old Portuguese whose release of confidential documents in 2018 helped trigger a Premier League inquiry into Manchester City, reiterated claims that Infantino, then Uefa general secretary, intervened to limit sanctions against Manchester City and Paris St-Germain. The Premier League investigation followed material published by Football Leaks via Der Spiegel and a separate inquiry by European governing body Uefa. Gianni Infantino was first elected as Fifa president in 2016.
Manchester City have been found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules over a nine-year period, though the club deny any wrongdoing and have until 2 October to submit an appeal. The Premier League probe was launched after documents entered the public domain via Football Leaks in 2018, which prompted scrutiny of club financial practices alongside Uefa's own investigation.
Der Spiegel reported that the clubs involved allegedly overvalued sponsorship agreements to satisfy Financial Fair Play requirements, and the documents published in 2018 allege that Infantino arranged more lenient punishments in 2014 when those concerns arose. At the time, Paris St-Germain issued a statement saying it "has always acted in full compliance with the laws and regulations enacted by sports institutions" and "denies the allegations." The club also said: "Since the introduction of Financial Fair Play, Paris St-Germain have been one of the most audited and scrutinised clubs in history."
In his post on X, Pinto wrote: "Back in 2014, there was a man who was already aware of the irregularities involving Manchester City," and 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. "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."
When the 2018 allegations first emerged, Uefa defended the general secretary's role, saying: "This may include discussions, meetings, assistance to help find solutions, and other interactions to assist the [investigating body] in its work." Infantino has previously responded by saying his "job entails having discussions, having conversations, exchanging documents, drafts, ideas, whatever, on many, many, many, many, topics. "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 has faced wider criticism recently, including over now-shelved plans to sell stakes in the World Cup, an accusation from Uefa of "criminal mismanagement" relating to the Fifa Forward Enterprise scheme, and the Swiss Football Association becoming the latest national body to withdraw its support. The SFV said: "The decision follows a comprehensive reassessment of developments over the past few months," and added: "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 is due to stand for election for a fourth time in March 2027, with potential opponents given until 18 November to register an alternative candidate.
