“There he is, the man everyone is trying to find, cops and detectives.” So begins the text of the magazine The mirror which, for the first time, offered a glimpse into the man behind the Football Leaksresponsible for the platform online which, over the last few months, has systematically published documents revealing sensitive information about the biggest clubs — and entities — in European football. Apparently, one of the main brains responsible for the operation was arrested in Hungary but the files are still alive in the digital world.
In total, 70 million documents were revealed, a number six times higher than that of the investigation of the Panama Papers. The mentor’s objective site it was simple: to lay bare the backstage of football. Together with the EIC (European Investigative Collaborations) consortium, information leaks were reported by the media in several countries.
The tax situation of football figures was one of the subjects most explored by the Football Leaks, with Cristiano Ronaldo receiving particular attention. According to platform documents, the Portuguese player would have diverted 150 million to a tax haven, with the aim of evading payment of image rights. Ronaldo was investigated in Spain and ordered to pay 16.7 million euros. Mourinho also reimbursed the Spanish tax authorities, in two million euros. The documents also led to investigations in Portugal, with the Tax Authority closely analyzing the situations of various people linked to the world of football.
UEFA investigated Manchester City
UEFA, the governing body of European football, even investigated Manchester City on suspicion that the English club had circumvented the rules by artificially inflating revenue from advertising contracts to comply with the fair play financial. The hypothesis was left in the air by the article in the German magazine The mirror based on the platform Football Leaks. If the irregularity had been proven, Manchester City would be expelled from the Champions League, Europe’s main club competition. Aleksander Ceferin, president of UEFA, revealed that an independent group would be investigating the matter, after the club was fined 60 million euros in 2014 for not respecting the financial limits imposed by the sporting entity.
the control anti-doping
Sérgio Ramos was also involved in the Football Leaks: according to documents published on the platform, the Real Madrid captain has committed two breaches of the regulations anti-doping, one of which in the Champions League final. In the analyzes carried out by the Spanish international, dexamethasone (a drug that belongs to the glucocorticoid class, one of the most potent groups of anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs) was detected.
The documents revealed that, in April 2018, the defender refused to carry out a control anti-doping determined by the Spanish agency AEPSAD. Real Madrid denied any mistake made by the athlete, with the case having no follow-up.
The war on mutual funds
Since the founding of site that the Football Leaks has maintained an open war with investment funds. Doyen Investment Sports, which finances player and coach passes, is primarily targeted by documents that have come to light over the past three years.
Fosun, a Chinese group, would have, according to the documents shared, negotiated the creation of a network of football clubs and academies across Europe, allowing partners to buy percentages of players, a prohibited practice. With the help of top agents like Jorge Mendes, this kind of profit that would otherwise go to small clubs would be held by investors.
In addition to questions of dubious legality, the Football Leaks brought to light the large amount of money that circulates through the contracts — and pockets — of footballers and agents. According to the investigation, Neymar’s record-breaking transfer had some curious incentives. For example: for the gesture of applauding the fans after the match, the Brazilian star would receive around 375 thousand euros.
Football LeaksPortuguese version
In Portugal, one of the first confidential documents revealed belonged to Sporting. The contract signed with the coach of the “lions”, Jorge Jesus, showed, according to the document, that the coach would receive an annual gross remuneration of five million euros per season.
On the side of the “dragons”, the Express reported that Alexandre Pinto da Costa had received irregular commissions relating to the transfer of players, based on documents obtained by the European consortium of journalists investigating the Football Leaks. The company would have received 168 thousand euros related to the sale of Carlos Eduardo and 60 thousand euros (plus VAT) for the loan of Rolando to Inter.
At Benfica, the transfer of Bernardo Silva was one of the deals questioned by the platform. Again through the dissemination of documentation, the Football Leaks revealed that Monaco’s payments to the player were transferred to the investment fund XXIII Capital Limited and not to Benfica. The Luz emblem confirmed the veracity of the documents, but stated that it was a “normal operation”.
Neymar transfer to PSG was the most expensive in football history
BENOIT TESSIER / REUTERS
