Rui Pinto: Infantino knew of City breaches since 2014

Rui Pinto has accused Gianni Infantino of knowing about Manchester City's financial irregularities as far back as 2014, when the FIFA president was still secretary-general of UEFA.

The claim came in a post on X, published after Manchester City were found guilty by the Premier League of multiple breaches of financial rules. Rui Pinto wrote that Infantino "abused his authority, shared confidential documents and, in short, circumvented the investigation," acting to ensure that both City and PSG received only a fine rather than a fuller inquiry that could have led to a ban from the Champions League.

The hacker said the details had already surfaced through Football Leaks, the trove of leaked documents that first exposed City's finances several years ago.

"In 2014, there was already a man aware of the irregularities involving Manchester City. That man now presides over FIFA. The infamous Gianni Infantino, then Secretary-General of UEFA, abused his authority, shared confidential documents and, in short, circumvented the investigation, doing everything in his power to ensure that both Manchester City and PSG received only a fine, avoiding a deeper investigation that could have resulted in a ban from playing in the Champions League. All these details were also revealed through Football Leaks. Given his actions as Secretary-General of UEFA and, more recently, as President of FIFA, I can only say, in my humble opinion, that Gianni Infantino has become a cancer in football and should have no place in the sport's future," Rui Pinto wrote.

The post lands days after the Premier League's verdict against Manchester City, reviving questions about how European football's governing bodies handled the club's case a decade ago. Rui Pinto has made no comment on any response from FIFA or UEFA.