Rui Pinto launches scathing attack on FIFA president Gianni Infantino

Gianni Infantino

The whistleblower behind the leaks that sparked Manchester City’s financial investigation has launched a blistering attack on FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Rui Pinto, the creator of Football Leaks, claims the global football chief is unfit to lead the sport after allegedly protecting elite clubs from severe punishments.

A scathing assessment of the FIFA chief

The 37-year-old Portuguese computer hacker took to social media to voice his anger over Infantino’s historical actions during his time at UEFA.

Pinto alleges that Infantino used his former role as UEFA general secretary to shield Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain from serious Financial Fair Play sanctions in 2014.

Writing on X, Pinto said:

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.

Allegations of protection for elite clubs

According to Pinto, the current FIFA president actively worked to ensure both state-backed clubs avoided potential Champions League bans a decade ago.

Reports from German publication Der Spiegel previously suggested that Manchester City and PSG had artificially inflated their sponsorship agreements to satisfy European spending regulations.

Pinto claims that Infantino stepped in to arrange lenient fines for the clubs, effectively blocking a more rigorous inquiry that could have resulted in European exclusion.

At the time, the French champions strongly rejected any accusations of wrongdoing and insisted they had always operated within the rules.

In a statement, PSG said:

Since the introduction of Financial Fair Play, Paris St-Germain have been one of the most audited and scrutinised clubs in history.

The governing bodies offer their defence

UEFA has previously defended the actions of its former general secretary, stating that his role naturally involved helping clubs find solutions during compliance disputes.

Infantino has also defended his past conduct, arguing that negotiating and exchanging documents with clubs was simply a normal part of his administrative duties.

Defending his actions, Infantino said:

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.

Meanwhile, Manchester City continue to deny any wrongdoing after being found guilty of violating Premier League financial regulations across a nine-year timeframe.

The English champions have until 2 October to lodge their formal appeal against the ruling.

Mounting pressure on Infantino’s leadership

The latest comments from Pinto arrive at a highly turbulent time for the FIFA president, who is facing growing resistance from European football authorities.

UEFA has recently accused Infantino of criminal mismanagement regarding the FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme, while domestic associations are starting to turn their backs on him.

The Swiss Football Association has officially withdrawn its backing for the president, citing serious concerns over how the global governing body is being run.

In a statement, the SFV said:

From the SFV’s perspective, various incidents raise fundamental questions regarding leadership, governance, transparency and decision-making processes within Fifa.

Infantino is currently preparing to stand for a fourth term in office in March 2027, with rival candidates having until 18 November to enter the race.