Rui Pinto, the Portuguese hacker responsible for leaking documents that triggered the Premier League’s investigation into Manchester City, is facing a dangerous situation after being removed from Portugal’s witness protection programme.
The 37-year-old announced on social media platform X that his participation in the protective scheme ended on 10 October. He stated that the decision has placed him in a “life-threatening situation” due to repeated death threats and the credible risk of an assassination attempt.
Pinto, who founded the Football Leaks operation, shared confidential emails and financial records with German magazine Der Spiegel in 2018. These documents were instrumental in the inquiry into Manchester City’s alleged breaches of financial fair play regulations. Last week, the club was found guilty of all charges related to violations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, a verdict the club is currently appealing.
Pinto joined the witness protection programme in 2020 after agreeing to cooperate with authorities. However, he has a prior criminal record in Portugal, having been convicted of illegal access to data and attempted extortion. He received a four-year suspended sentence and notably wore a bulletproof vest during his 2020 trial due to security concerns. Earlier this year, he was acquitted of 241 counts of illegally accessing email accounts belonging to various sports bodies, including Benfica.
According to a statement released by Pinto’s lawyers on Friday, the termination of his protection leaves him at heightened risk, particularly as legal proceedings stemming from the leaks remain ongoing. The lawyer’s office emphasized that the state-created situation left Pinto with no alternative but to relocate to an undisclosed location indefinitely.
In addition to his recent allegations regarding Manchester City, Pinto has targeted FIFA president Gianni Infantino. On Wednesday, Pinto accused Infantino of being a “cancer on football” and reiterated claims that the FIFA chief intervened to help both Manchester City and Paris St-Germain avoid sanctions from UEFA in 2018.
Pinto has established a fundraising page to assist him in surviving what he describes as a crisis created by the Portuguese state. BBC Sport has contacted the Commission for the Protection of Victims of Crimes in Portugal for comment regarding his removal from the programme.
Does anyone actually think he will be safe just relocating? Man City’s legal team is ruthless, and he has no backup.
I still cannot believe Infantino is still denying everything. Pinto’s claims are getting harder to ignore now.
He did hack private emails illegally, though. Should the state really fund his safety after those crimes?
A whistleblower without state protection? That is a terrifying precedent. The government needs to step up immediately.