Football Leaks Scandal: Pinto’s “Football Leaks” were the most important leak of information in the history of sports. They led to criminal probes in Belgium, Britain, France, Spain, and Switzerland.
The 34-year-old said he was a tipster working in the public interest, but officials charged him with 89 hacking crimes and attempted blackmail. In Portugal, you could go to jail for up to 10 years if you did that.
Five counts of illegal access to IT systems and three counts of “correspondence violations” led to Pinto’s conviction. He was also charged with trying to get money from the Doyen Sports investment fund.
Judge Margarida Alves, who was in charge of the case, was reported by Sportstar as saying that Pinto broke people’s privacy.
“The freedom to inform does not justify violations of privacy,” she said. The court is certain…. It is clear that he wanted money.”
Pinto is said to have asked Nelio Lucas, who is in charge of Doyen Sports, for between €500,000 and €1,000,000 to stop releasing embarrassing papers.
Pinto shared 18.6 million documents online or with a group of European journalists between 2015 and 2018. This shocked the football community. They include Lionel Messi and Neymar’s salaries, Cristiano Ronaldo’s claim that he was raped, Manchester City’s “financial slight,” and PSG’s racial profiling.
Pinto admitted in his hearing, which started in September 2020, that he had used unfair and illegal ways to get his information. The Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon and the Portuguese Football Federation are two of the many people he is said to have hurt.
Pinto was caught in Hungary in 2019 and sent to Portugal, where the legal process against him began. Before he agreed to help the police, the hacker spent a year in jail. This made him both a criminal and a protected witness.
Most people agree that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are two of the best players in the history of their sport. Even though they are both over 30, they have both aged like good wine and are still going strong.
Ronaldo, who is 38 years old, has been on fire for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League this season. He has scored six goals and set up four others in four SPL games. In the Arab Club Champions Cup, where they won, he scored six times in as many games.
Messi, who is 36 years old, has made a quick start at MLS team Inter Miami. He scored 10 goals and set up four others as they won the Leagues Cup. The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner has helped lift the Herons from the bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference with a goal and three helpers in three league games.
