More than 10 years after Rui Pinto launched the Football Leaks platform as part of a campaign inspired by the 2015 Fifa controversy, he is once again at the centre of an escalating dispute. The former history student, known for his distinctive spiked hair, once supplemented his income by selling books about the second world war. Since an independent Premier League commission found Manchester City guilty, he has spoken openly on social media.
Pinto initially criticised club officials, accusing them of “cheating” and showing “a complete lack of respect for the rules”. His release of confidential documents had previously led Uefa and then the Premier League to examine City’s finances. On Wednesday, he shifted his focus to Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
Fewer than two hours later, authorities in Portugal announced that Pinto’s protected-witness status had ended. The decision reportedly surprised the 37-year-old, who currently has no employment, permanent home or regular income. He had been staying at an undisclosed secure property under protection and is believed not to have received any visitors.
Discussions had reportedly begun about helping Pinto return to a normal social and working life. Those plans will now stop, leaving him responsible for his own safety and future. He has been warned against returning home, contacting relatives or attending busy locations for either personal or professional reasons.
Pinto had been under witness protection since 2020, when he agreed to give Portuguese investigators access to millions of files collected before his arrest in Budapest. He had moved there after spending a year in the Hungarian capital through the Erasmus programme. Since then, he has become a controversial public figure in Portugal, drawing comparisons with Edward Snowden and Julian Assange.
The Premier League relied substantially on material released through Football Leaks in its proceedings against City. That evidence included an internal message from chief executive Ferran Soriano stating: “We will need to fight this and do it in a way that is not visible, or we will be pointed out as the global enemies of football.” City maintain that they did nothing wrong. Soriano said this week that the club would appeal because the ruling “contains clear, material errors of law, principle and fact and that it is unsafe”.
Whether the leaked documents should have been admitted sparked extensive debate in Portugal. Premier League rules, however, state that investigations are not restricted by judicial standards concerning the admissibility of evidence. They allow alleged breaches to be established through any source considered reliable.
Rui Pinto has been warned not to go home, communicate with relatives or attend crowded locations.
This position is consistent with Pinto’s 2019 argument that describing the information as compromised because it was obtained unlawfully was “nonsense”. “The documents are authentic,” he said. “That is what matters. This and the content. I don’t consider myself as a hacker, but as a citizen who acted in the public interest. My sole intention was to reveal illicit practices that affect the world of football.”
During his first trial in 2020, Pinto wore a protective vest and entered the building through a separate access point guarded by specialist officers. Those attending the hearings were searched three times and prohibited from taking phones or computers into the courtroom. Snipers were also stationed on nearby buildings when proceedings began.
In September 2023, Pinto received a suspended four-year prison sentence after convictions for attempted extortion, unlawful access to information and violation of correspondence. He has consistently maintained that he was never paid, although he acknowledged regretting his decision to request money from Doyen Sports Investments after obtaining thousands of the agency’s private emails.
In a 2019 interview with Der Spiegel, he said: “I told myself: ‘If I allow them to buy me out now, I am no better than this whole business.’ So, I wrote to Doyen and told them to keep their money. Not a single cent was paid. What I did was very naive. Looking back now, I regret it. But I repeat that I deny having committed any criminal offence.”
The judge rejected that explanation as “not credible”, concluding that Pinto and his co-defendant, lawyer Aníbal Pinto, fully understood that their actions were unlawful. Rui Pinto moved into secure accommodation after sentencing. His mother died from cancer when he was 11, and he has only been allowed occasional contact with his father. The location remained confidential even during his relationship with actor Mikaela Lupu, whom he said he met over “a glass of wine and a book” when confirming their separation last year.
Pinto has reportedly appeared in public only twice over the past six years. During one outing to a Lisbon supermarket, police accompanied him while he concealed his identity with a cap and sunglasses. On another occasion, he was attacked during a confrontation thought to have been connected to football. He was reportedly left with bruising near his eyebrow, and police were notified, although he did not submit a formal complaint.
The removal of his protective status has prompted concerns about his wellbeing, and Pinto is believed to be worried about his personal safety. Reports suggested that a reward had previously been offered for targeting him after disclosures published by Football Leaks and Luanda Leaks. The latter exposed details about the commercial network of Isabel dos Santos, described as Africa’s wealthiest woman. She rejected accusations of corruption.
Portugal’s commission for special security programmes, known as CPES, was asked to explain why Pinto no longer qualifies for witness protection, but no answer was provided. The organisation operates under the justice ministry and oversees special protection arrangements. Some observers have suggested the decision may relate to accusations that Pinto accessed systems belonging to PLMJ, a Portuguese law firm established by José Miguel Júdice.
Júdice gave evidence against Pinto in the Football Leaks proceedings, characterising the incident as theft and saying it caused him serious emotional and psychological harm. He is the father of Rita Alarcão Júdice, who has served as Portugal’s justice minister since June 2025.
In April, Pinto was cleared at a second trial of 241 allegations involving unlawful access to email accounts connected to Portuguese sporting organisations, including Benfica, as well as legal practices, judicial officials and the tax authority. The information he handed to investigators in Portugal has not led to any criminal charges.
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