Rui Pinto, whose disclosure of confidential records helped prompt the Premier League to examine Manchester City’s finances, is set to lose his protected-witness status in Portugal. Documents indicate that the decision to withdraw his protection was made on Wednesday.
Pinto has also been advised to limit contact with relatives, remain cautious and stay away from social media. The 37-year-old founder of the Football Leaks website had received witness protection since 2020, when he agreed to give Portuguese investigators access to millions of files collected before his arrest.
Portuguese police have assessed the threat to Pinto’s safety as low, despite his reported assault in Lisbon in April and the continuing repercussions of the investigation into City. Pinto reportedly suffered bruising near his eyebrow during the incident. Police were notified, but no formal complaint was submitted.
In September 2023, Pinto received a suspended four-year prison sentence after being convicted of attempted extortion, unlawfully accessing data and violating private correspondence. However, some supporters have praised him for revealing millions of confidential records involving prominent clubs, players and organisations across international football. The material included details about City’s finances that were shared with the German publication Der Spiegel and members of the European Investigative Collaborations network, prompting separate inquiries by Uefa and the Premier League.
Although City successfully challenged their Champions League ban at the court of arbitration for sport, the Premier League found the club guilty on Tuesday of 114 charges covering nine seasons. City had been accused of concealing more than £900m in funding through allegedly artificial commercial agreements and inaccurate financial reporting. The club has until Friday to lodge an appeal.
Pinto has posted frequently on social media since reports of the verdict appeared last week. He called it a “landmark ruling for English football” and criticised City’s senior officials in a separate message, alleging that they had operated without accountability and disregarded the regulations, football authorities, competitive integrity, rival clubs and supporters. He added that years of deception and manipulation would now result in consequences.
Shortly before news emerged that his protected-witness status would end, Pinto also alleged that Fifa president Gianni Infantino had used his influence to make sure City and Paris Saint-Germain received only financial penalties for breaches of Uefa’s financial fair play regulations during his time as general secretary of European football’s governing body.
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