According to The Guardian, Rui Pinto, founder of "Football Leaks," released a statement after Manchester City was found by an independent commission to have breached Premier League financial regulations. He called the decision "a historic moment for English football." Specific sanctions have not yet been announced. Manchester City maintains its innocence and is expected to appeal.

Pinto's earlier disclosures, which included numerous internal emails and financial documents from Manchester City, triggered investigations into the club's finances by both UEFA and the Premier League. Regarding the latest decision, Pinto believes it vindicates the importance of the internal documents and financial records he previously published.

Pinto claims that the investigation's findings show that, in his view, Manchester City did not merely breach Financial Fair Play rules but systematically circumvented them through what he describes as "structural manipulation and financial operations," rendering the regulations "merely a formality."

Pinto stated: "This carefully orchestrated deception will ultimately be punished, and its impact will not only cause upheaval but could completely destroy Manchester City."

It should be noted that the terms "deception" and "structural manipulation" represent Pinto's own assessment of the case. Manchester City continues to deny the allegations and states that relevant procedures have not been completed. According to The Guardian, the club is expected to appeal the decision.

Pinto, a Portuguese citizen, is the central figure in the "Football Leaks" scandal. He obtained and disclosed a vast number of confidential documents related to football clubs, players, and organizations worldwide. Information regarding Manchester City's financial situation was subsequently shared with German newspaper Der Spiegel and other media partners through the European Investigative Collaborations.

Pinto reportedly maintains a database containing over 70 million documents, with impacts extending far beyond Manchester City to encompass numerous football matters, including the failed European Super League project.

Meanwhile, Pinto himself has long faced legal controversy. In 2019, he was arrested in Budapest in connection with an investigation into alleged extortion attempts and various cybercrime offenses. After a lengthy trial, he received a four-year suspended prison sentence.

From March 2019 to April 2020, Pinto was detained for approximately one year. He subsequently reached a cooperation agreement with Portuguese judicial authorities and was released. In 2020, Pinto became a protected witness in Portugal. In exchange, he granted the Portuguese Judicial Police access to hard drives containing "Football Leaks" data and assisted in various investigations. He remains under police protection, living in a safe house at an undisclosed location.

Pinto is also a controversial figure in Portugal. Supporters view him as a whistleblower exposing wrongdoing in the football industry, while critics argue that his methods of obtaining and disclosing information violate legal and ethical boundaries.

Although Pinto openly supports Porto, the documents he disclosed also involved Porto and its former president, Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa. Other Portuguese clubs such as Benfica and Sporting CP also appear in the information he obtained.

Additionally, Pinto's disclosures extended beyond football, involving judges, lawyers, and political figures. Some documents related to the business interests and financial transactions of Isabel dos Santos, daughter of former Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos, which eventually became part of the "Luanda Leaks" investigation later covered by international media.

Earlier this year, Pinto was cleared in a second case in Portugal involving 241 charges related to "Football Leaks" activities. However, it remains uncertain whether he will face further criminal proceedings given the volume of documents he obtained and disclosed.

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