‘A cancer on football’: Whistleblower Rui Pinto accuses FIFA president Infantino
Rui Pinto’s renewed allegations against Gianni Infantino have reopened scrutiny of UEFA’s 2014 handling of Manchester City and PSG, just days after City were found guilty of serious Premier League financial breaches.
Manchester City’s latest financial verdict has dragged an old chapter of the Financial Fair Play story back into the spotlight, with Football Leaks whistleblower Rui Pinto renewing his allegations against FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Pinto claims Infantino, who was UEFA general secretary in 2014, played a key role in steering City and Paris Saint-Germain towards settlements rather than the possibility of more severe European punishment.
Those claims have previously been disputed, with UEFA defending Infantino’s involvement and the official arguing that discussions and negotiations with clubs were part of his responsibilities.
What gives the latest accusations fresh weight in the public debate is the Premier League’s recent finding that City committed serious financial breaches over a period that overlaps with UEFA’s earlier scrutiny.
City deny wrongdoing and are appealing the Premier League verdict. UEFA records show City and PSG accepted financial and sporting restrictions in 2014, with City receiving a conditional fine and limits on their Champions League squad and transfer spending.
By 2015, UEFA confirmed that several restrictions had been lifted after both clubs demonstrated compliance with financial targets.
Pinto’s latest intervention does not establish wrongdoing by Infantino, but it has reopened questions about how football’s regulatory system dealt with powerful clubs when Financial Fair Play was still taking shape.
The controversy also arrives at a sensitive moment for Infantino, who is seeking another term as FIFA president, while the Swiss Football Association has withdrawn its support for his candidacy.
With City now facing the consequences of a separate Premier League investigation, the football world is once again being forced to examine not only what happened on the pitch, but how the game’s financial rules were enforced behind the scenes.
