Rui Pinto, the Portuguese computer hacker behind the Football Leaks website, has delivered a scathing verdict on Fifa president Gianni Infantino, declaring that the Swiss official "should have no place in the future of the game".

Pinto's intervention comes in the aftermath of Manchester City being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules over a nine-year period, an investigation launched following documents released into the public domain by Football Leaks in 2018 via German publication Der Spiegel. City continue to deny any wrongdoing and have until 2 October to submit an appeal.

Repeating the 2018 allegations

In a message on X, Pinto repeated allegations from 2018 that Infantino, then Uefa general secretary, intervened to help City and Paris St-Germain avoid serious financial fair play sanctions. According to a Der Spiegel report, both clubs overvalued sponsorship deals to help meet FFP rules, and the leaked documents allege Infantino helped arrange more lenient punishments for them in 2014.

"Back in 2014, there was a man who was already aware of the irregularities involving Manchester City," wrote the 37-year-old Pinto. "The infamous Gianni Infantino, then Uefa general secretary, abused his authority, shared confidential documents and, in short, outmanoeuvred the investigatory chamber, doing everything in his power to ensure that both Manchester City and PSG would merely receive a fine, avoiding a deeper investigation that could have led to a Champions League ban."

He added: "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."

Infantino's defence

When the allegations first surfaced, Uefa stressed that it was within the remit of the general secretary to assist in such matters, including "discussions, meetings, assistance to help find solutions, and other interactions". Infantino similarly defended himself, saying his "job entails having discussions, having conversations, exchanging documents, drafts, ideas, whatever, on many, many, many, many, topics".

"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," Infantino said.

PSG, for its part, said it "has always acted in full compliance with the laws and regulations enacted by sports institutions" and denied the allegations, adding: "Since the introduction of Financial Fair Play, Paris St-Germain have been one of the most audited and scrutinised clubs in history."

Growing pressure on Infantino

Infantino has come under increasing pressure following his now-shelved plans to sell stakes in the World Cup. Uefa has accused him of "criminal mismanagement" over the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme, while the Swiss Football Association is the latest association to withdraw its support.

"The decision follows a comprehensive reassessment of developments over the past few months," an SFV statement read. "From the SFV's perspective, various incidents raise fundamental questions regarding leadership, governance, transparency and decision-making processes within Fifa."

Infantino will stand for election for a fourth time in March 2027, with his opponents having until 18 November to find an alternative candidate.