Football Leaks began as a website in September 2015 and published confidential transfer, wage, contract, and third-party-ownership records. Its first major disclosure concerned agreements between FC Twente and Doyen Sports; the resulting scrutiny contributed to the Royal Dutch Football Association banning Twente from European competition for three years. Later disclosures challenged public estimates of major deals, including AS Monaco’s €43 million payment for Radamel Falcao and Gareth Bale’s transfer to Real Madrid, reported at more than €100 million. Investigations also detailed footballers’ tax arrangements and commercial income, including a reported €1.1 million payment to Cristiano Ronaldo for a Mobily photoshoot.
In December 2016, Der Spiegel and partners in the European Investigative Collaborations published material drawn partly from Football Leaks, examining alleged tax avoidance and opaque financial structures. The reporting used approximately 18.6 million documents—including contracts, emails, and spreadsheets—reviewed by 60 journalists from 12 European media organizations. A Spanish judge, Arturo Zamarriego, issued a December 5, 2016 order restricting publication while authorities investigated how the material was obtained; Reporters Without Borders criticized it as censorship. Rui Pinto was arrested in Budapest on January 16, 2019, extradited to Portugal, and ultimately convicted of unauthorized access, intercepting correspondence, and attempted extortion. He received a suspended four-year sentence after being found guilty on nine counts.
