34YO Receives Suspended Prison Sentence After Leaking Manchester City’s 115 Financial Rule Breaches

Published 09/13/2023, 7:45 AM EDT

Manchester City has an unholy tryst with governing bodies of soccer. In a laundry list of lawsuits and investigations, the treble winners were previously charged with violating a whopping 115 financial rules by the Premier League. In this instance, however, a Portuguese court has convicted the 34-year-old who was responsible for leaking these breaches to the public.

The self-taught computer mastermind, through a self-owned website in 2015, exposed confidential details concerning transfer fees, player contracts, and sensitive information about soccer clubs. Consequently, the whistleblower played a key role in the financial accusations leveled against the Manchester City.

Manchester City was outed by a vigilante claiming to be a whistleblower

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According to the Portuguese media, Rui Pinto was convicted of attempted extortion and multiple counts of illegal access to emails and data breaches. Additionally, the former student established a website called Football Leaks where he disclosed millions of such documents.

In 2018, Pinto utilized the website to release a substantial collection of legal documents concerning Manchester City to media outlets across Europe. Rui Pinto faced over 90 charges but argued his actions were those of a whistleblower acting for the greater public good.

According to the court, the computer hacker does not have to serve his sentence in prison. Meanwhile, Pinto also gained recognition for releasing contract details of Neymar, and Gareth Bale, and brought to light major allegations involving Paris Saint-Germain.

🚨🚨 The Portuguese computer hacker whose release of a huge cache of documents led directly to Manchester City being charged with 115 rule breaches by the Premier League has received a suspended prison sentence by a court in Lisbon.
In 2018, Rui Pinto, a 34-year-old Portuguese… pic.twitter.com/QxkzImQ72R
— Football Talk (@FootballTalkHQ) September 12, 2023

Following his actions, Manchester City has found themselves entangled in legal disputes from the Premier League, after the release of such a massive cache of documents by the self-styled hacker.

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City seem to be doing way too many rounds of the court for a soccer club. But what are the charges levied against the Mancunian club?

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The financial charges faced by the Citizens

The 9x Premier League champions were charged by the Premier League for 115 instances of rule violation that specifically pertain to the club’s finances. City was accused of breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules around 100 times over the period of 2009 until 2018. The Sky Blues allegedly failed to provide precise financial data in these nine seasons.

Following the charges, Man City could face potential expulsion from the league if found guilty. However, the Citizens responded earnestly to the charges and initiated legal proceedings with their defense attorney to refute the Premier League’s allegations, vowing to take resolute measures in upcoming years.

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Written by:

Prabuddha is a soccer writer at EssentiallySports. Growing up watching the sagacious Manchester United where legends like Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes shone, Prabuddha has been an admirer of the EPL giants, and looks forward to the new era stars like Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford as the torch bearers. Keen follower of the game, he values weaving his articles with facts, analysis and captivating narratives.

Edited by:

Jayant Chhabra

34YO Receives Suspended Prison Sentence After Leaking Manchester City’s 115 Financial Rule Breaches

Manchester City was outed by a vigilante claiming to be a whistleblower

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The financial charges faced by the Citizens