Rui Pinto’s Football Leaks and the documents that led to Manchester City charges
September 26, 2026 08:50
Rui Pinto — the 37-year-old identified as the founder of Football Leaks — published a cache of confidential club documents and internal emails about sponsorship deals and payments. Those publications ultimately fed into Premier League charges over alleged breaches of financial rules and, on Friday, news that Manchester City had been found guilty of the majority of the 115 counts.
BACKGROUND
Pinto’s work through Football Leaks divided opinion. Some view him as a criminal who stole information; others regard him as a whistleblower who exposed troubling practices in football. BBC Sport travelled across Europe to examine his story, speaking to a range of people connected to the case.
REPORTING AND ACCOUNTS
BBC Sport said it interviewed one of Pinto’s former teachers, a Portuguese politician campaigning for him to be recognised as a whistleblower, journalists who published the leaked material, and a former Manchester City financial adviser. Reporters also attended Pinto’s most recent court hearing and sat “just a few feet” from him.
PERSONAL PROFILE
Pinto grew up in Vila Nova de Gaia, across the Douro from Porto. He attended Escola Secundaria Almeida Garrett. His father, Francisco, worked in a shoe factory and later as an antiques dealer; his mother died when Pinto was 11. A former teacher described him as “a perfectly normal pupil” who was “nice” and “quite sociable,” and said Pinto was “very good in computers” when he applied himself. The teacher added that Pinto “did miss these classes quite often” but that his father “was always on top of things” and that Pinto “in the end ... passed quite easily.”
Pinto’s former teacher also suggested several possible motives without presenting them as facts: “Perhaps it was a question of the excesses of youth, his ability with computers, and maybe an excess of club-ism,” noting Pinto’s support for FC Porto.
WHY IT MATTERS
The documents published by Football Leaks were used as the basis for scrutiny and formal charges that have now resulted in a finding against Manchester City on most of 115 counts. The case has prompted wide public debate about the methods used to obtain and publish leaked material and about accountability in elite football.
KEY FACTS
- Rui Pinto is identified as the founder of Football Leaks.
- His publications included confidential club documents and internal emails on sponsorship deals and payments.
- Those publications contributed to Premier League charges regarding alleged breaches of financial rules.
- Manchester City were found guilty of the majority of 115 counts, according to news reported on Friday.
- Pinto is 37; he grew up in Vila Nova de Gaia and attended Escola Secundaria Almeida Garrett. His father is Francisco; his mother died when Pinto was 11.