Rui Pinto to lose Portuguese protected-witness status

Portuguese authorities decided on Wednesday to remove protected-witness status from Rui Pinto, the creator of Football Leaks, with his participation in Portugal’s programme scheduled to end on 10 October. Pinto says the decision will force him to leave for an undisclosed location because of threats, while he has offered to help UK authorities if they provide protection.¹²³

Protection ending after six years

Pinto became a protected witness in 2020 after agreeing to cooperate with Portuguese authorities and granting them access to millions of files. The material was gathered through Football Leaks and included documents connected to investigations of Manchester City. His lawyers say proceedings arising from the disclosures, including the case involving City, remain active.¹²³

Portuguese police assessed the threat to Pinto as low and advised him to be cautious in his contact with relatives and to avoid social media. His lawyers said they appealed the decision and sought details of the risk assessment but received no response. They argue that withdrawing protection while related cases continue exposes him to greater danger.¹²³

Pinto has described the withdrawal of protection as a “life-threatening situation” and said he had received death threats and faced the risk of an assassination attempt. He said he would move to a secret location for an indefinite period. The Guardian reported that he was assaulted in Lisbon in April and left with a bruised eyebrow, although no complaint was filed.¹²³

Offer to assist UK authorities

Pinto is prepared to help UK authorities with their legal case if suitable security arrangements are made, according to the Guardian. The newspaper reported that he has detailed knowledge of documents, people and companies involved, and that his priority remains cooperation if protection is available. He wants to leave Portugal for a location that is not disclosed.²

The Guardian also reported that Pinto had been negotiating admission to a French witness-protection programme before his arrest, but that Portuguese authorities stopped that initiative. It said he later cooperated intermittently with authorities in France, Germany and Belgium, and that documents could be exchanged across borders through international cooperation.²

The Manchester City case

Manchester City was found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules across nine seasons. Al Jazeera reported that an independent commission upheld all but one of 115 charges, while the Guardian described the finding as covering more than 100 charges. The commission found that contracts artificially increased the club’s income by £900 million, according to the Guardian. City has confirmed that it will appeal the verdict.¹²³

The BBC reported that information published through Football Leaks in 2018 contributed to the Premier League investigation. The Guardian said Pinto’s disclosures also led Uefa to open a separate inquiry into City. It reported that City had been accused of disguising more than £900 million in funding through false accounting and commercial contracts described by the commission as “sham”.¹²

Claims involving football authorities

Pinto has alleged that Gianni Infantino intervened to help Manchester City and Paris St-Germain avoid stronger Uefa financial fair-play sanctions. According to the BBC, the allegations said Infantino helped arrange more lenient treatment for both clubs in 2014. Paris St-Germain denied the allegations and said it had complied with the rules of sporting institutions.¹

Uefa said assistance in such matters fell within the general secretary’s responsibilities. Infantino said his work involved discussions and exchanges of documents, drafts and ideas across many subjects. Pinto remains a critic of the Fifa president, whom the BBC says plans to run for another term in March 2027.¹

Pinto’s legal record

The BBC reported that Pinto was convicted in Portugal of offences including unlawful access to data and attempted extortion, receiving a suspended four-year sentence. The BBC further said Pinto was cleared at a second trial on 241 allegations of unlawful access to email accounts held by Portuguese sports bodies. During his first trial in 2020, he wore a bulletproof vest amid heightened security.¹

The removal of protection leaves Pinto seeking security elsewhere while he offers further cooperation. His lawyers say the threats are real and that ending the programme before leak-related litigation concludes could have serious consequences. Portuguese police, however, assessed his risk level as low.¹²³