Pinto entered Portugal’s witness protection scheme in 2020 after agreeing to assist investigators and hand over documents acquired through the Football Leaks project.
In a post shared on X on Friday, external, he said the termination of his protection on 10 October had placed his life in danger.
The 37-year-old said repeated death threats and the significant possibility of an assassination attempt had forced him to move to a secret location for an indefinite period.
Pinto identifies himself as a whistleblower, although a Portuguese court convicted him of crimes including unlawful access to data and attempted extortion, handing him a four-year suspended sentence.
He appeared in a bulletproof vest at his first trial in 2020, when enhanced security arrangements were also put in place.
Earlier this year, a second trial cleared him of 241 charges involving the alleged illegal access of email accounts owned by several Portuguese sporting organisations, including Benfica.
On Wednesday, Pinto criticised Fifa president Gianni Infantino, describing him as harmful to football and arguing that he should not be involved in the game’s future.
Pinto also renewed claims first made in 2018 that Infantino stepped in to help Manchester City and Paris St-Germain escape financial fair play penalties from European football authority Uefa.
Infantino has faced mounting scrutiny in recent weeks over disputed proposals to offer private investors stakes in competitions run by the governing organisation, including the World Cup.
In a statement issued on Friday, Pinto’s legal team said removing him from the witness protection scheme had increased the danger he faced. They added that court proceedings connected to the leaked material were still continuing, including the case involving Manchester City.
Pinto has launched a fundraising campaign to support himself during what he describes as a severe crisis caused by the Portuguese authorities.
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