Manchester City scandal whistleblower left unprotected: "death threats" pursue him
Then it withdrew its protection
Portugal's Rui Pinto, the man behind the "Football Leaks" revelations that exposed financial irregularities attributed to Manchester City and threw European football into turmoil, says his life is now in danger. The warning follows a decision by the Portuguese authorities to end his place in the witness protection programme, which had given him a secret residence and round-the-clock security.
Writing on his account on the "X" platform, Pinto said the committee running the programme had told him his participation was over. He branded the decision a genuine threat to his life, having already received death threats amid fears he could be the target of an assassination attempt. Within days, he added, he would be forced to move to an undisclosed location for an indefinite period.
His legal team hit back at the withdrawal, demanding the Portuguese authorities think again and warning of the security and legal fallout. Several judicial proceedings tied to the information he exposed are still ongoing, his lawyers pointed out.
Manchester City case at the heart of the storm
Among the reasons the defence gave for their objection was the ongoing nature of the proceedings linked to the "Football Leaks" revelations. That includes the Manchester City case, with the club facing more than 100 alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations.
While those cases drag on, the lawyers argue, the potential risks to Pinto's safety must be weighed before anyone strips away his protection.
The "Football Leaks" story broke in 2015, when Pinto published confidential documents covering players' contracts, their transfers, and the financial dealings of clubs and agents. The leaks triggered investigations and court cases across several European countries, dragging a string of controversial financial files into the open.
Pinto's lawyers insist the threats are far from hypothetical. They point to an attack on him in Lisbon last April, and to the fact that powerful, well-resourced figures were named in the files he exposed. Some of the proceedings tied to those revelations are still live.
Acquittal in a new case after a previous conviction
Last April, Pinto, 37, walked free of all charges in a second trial in Portugal. A court had previously convicted him in September 2023 of computer-related crimes and attempting to extort a sports investment fund, handing him a four-year suspended prison sentence.
Authorities arrested Pinto in Hungary in January 2019, where he was living, before extraditing him to Portugal. He spent more than a year in pre-trial detention, then agreed to cooperate with the authorities on other investigations, handing them access to encrypted data in his possession.
Ending the protection leaves his defence fearing for his safety, with the fallout from the revelations bound to his name still echoing through a number of judicial files. Chief among them is Manchester City's financial case.
