Who is Rui Pinto and what is Football Leaks?
Rui Pinto is a Portuguese hacker who exposed the secrets of the European soccer elite through a website called Football Leaks. He hacked into the computers of various entities related to the sport, such as clubs, agents, investment funds, and law firms, and leaked confidential information about the transfer fees, salaries, contracts, and tax evasion schemes of some of the biggest stars and teams in the world. He also revealed how Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain allegedly breached the financial fair play rules of UEFA, the governing body of European soccer.
Football Leaks was launched in 2015 and published thousands of documents until 2018, when Pinto was arrested in Hungary and extradited to Portugal to face trial. The website was described as the “largest leak in the history of sports” by Der Spiegel, a German magazine that was part of a consortium of media outlets that collaborated with Pinto to analyze and publish the data.
What were the charges and the verdict against Pinto?
Pinto was accused of nine crimes, including unauthorized access to computer systems, interception of correspondence, attempted extortion, and violation of correspondence. He faced up to 25 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
On Monday, September 11, 2023, a Lisbon court found him guilty of six crimes and acquitted him of three. He was sentenced to four years in prison, but the sentence was suspended for five years, meaning he will not have to serve time behind bars unless he commits another crime during that period. He will also have to pay a fine of 42,000 euros ($49,000) to Doyen Sports, an investment fund that he tried to extort in exchange for not publishing some of the documents he had obtained.
The court ruled that Pinto had hacked into the computers of Doyen Sports, the Portuguese attorney general’s office, and a Lisbon law firm. However, it was not proven that he had hacked into the website of the Portuguese soccer federation, as the prosecution had claimed.
How did Pinto defend himself and what was his reaction to the verdict?
Pinto admitted that he was behind Football Leaks, but argued that he was a whistleblower, not a criminal. He said he had acted in the public interest and for no personal gain. He also said he was “shocked and disgusted” by what he had found in his hacking activities.
His lawyers told the court that Pinto had helped authorities in Europe and beyond to fight corruption and crime in soccer. They said he was cooperating with investigators in France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Malta in various cases related to Football Leaks. They also said he had entered a witness protection program in Portugal after agreeing to share his data with the local police.
Pinto said he was satisfied with the verdict, but disappointed that he was not fully acquitted. He said he would appeal to clear his name. He also said he hoped his case would inspire other whistleblowers to come forward and expose wrongdoing in soccer and other fields.
What were the impacts and implications of Football Leaks?
Football Leaks had a significant impact on the world of soccer, as it exposed some of the shady practices and scandals that plagued the sport. Some of the revelations led to official investigations, sanctions, lawsuits, and reforms.
For example, UEFA banned Manchester City from participating in the Champions League for two seasons after finding them guilty of breaching its financial fair play rules based on the documents leaked by Football Leaks. However, the ban was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport after Manchester City appealed.
Another example is Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the most famous players in history. He was accused of raping a woman in Las Vegas in 2009 based on a document leaked by Football Leaks that showed he had paid her $375,000 to settle the case. Ronaldo denied the allegations and said the sex was consensual. The case was reopened by Las Vegas police in 2018 but dropped in 2019 due to insufficient evidence.
Football Leaks also sparked a debate about the role and rights of whistleblowers in society. Some praised Pinto as a hero who exposed corruption and injustice in soccer. Others criticized him as a hacker who violated privacy and security laws. His case raised questions about how to protect whistleblowers from prosecution and retaliation while ensuring accountability and transparency in sports and other sectors.
