Rui Pinto, the Portuguese man believed to be the mastermind behind Football Leaks, waits before his trial at the court in Lisbon, Portugal September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante Acquire Licensing RightsLISBON, Sept 11 (Reuters) - A Lisbon court on Monday handed a four-year suspended prison sentence to Rui Pinto, the Portuguese man behind the Football Leaks website, for attempted extortion, illegal access to data and breach of correspondence, Judge Margarida Alves said. "The court decided Rui Pinto will be handed a single four-year sentence... but there is no need to serve the sentence in prison," the judge said. Pinto's targets included the football club Sporting, the Portuguese Football Federation, investment fund Doyen Sports and law firm PLMJ. Football Leaks' data seen by Reuters showed how some of the richest and most prominent figures in soccer avoided tax by channelling earnings offshore.

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Persons: Rui Pinto, Rafael Marchante, Judge Margarida Alves, Pinto, Judge Alves, Anibal Pinto, Pinto's, Francisco Teixeira da Mota, Sérgio Gonçalves, Andrei Khalip Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Football, Lisbon Central Criminal Court, Sporting, Portuguese Football Federation, Sports, Reuters, English Premier League, Manchester City, European Champions League, Thomson Locations: Lisbon, Portugal, Rights LISBON, Portuguese, Hungary