Rui Pinto, the Portuguese whistleblower whose Football Leaks revelations helped trigger investigations into Manchester City’s finances, is preparing to leave his home country after being told that his witness protection will end this month.
Pinto has launched a crowdfunding campaign seeking €3 million — approximately £2.55 million — saying the money is needed to relocate to an undisclosed location because he fears for his safety.
Portuguese authorities have told the 37-year-old that the special security programme under which he has been protected since 2020 will end on October 10. Pinto’s lawyers say the decision also puts his protected accommodation at risk and could leave him without guaranteed police protection.
Football Leaks Put Pinto at the Centre of Man City Investigation
Pinto became internationally known through Football Leaks, a website through which large volumes of confidential football documents were released.
Among the material were hacked emails relating to Manchester City, which formed the basis of reporting by German publication Der Spiegel in 2018.
The revelations subsequently contributed to investigations by UEFA and the Premier League into the club’s financial practices. The Premier League’s independent commission has now found City guilty of serious financial rule breaches covering the period from 2009/10 to 2017/18.
Pinto Says His Safety Is Now at Risk
Pinto’s legal team has strongly criticised the decision to terminate his protection.
In a statement, his lawyers said he had been notified that the programme would end without him being given an opportunity to be heard beforehand. They argued that abruptly removing his protected accommodation and potentially his police protection would make him more vulnerable.
The lawyers also pointed to an alleged assault against Pinto in Lisbon in April and said threats against him remained a serious concern.
Pinto himself has said he has received multiple death threats and fears a possible assassination attempt. Those claims are the basis for his decision to seek an urgent relocation outside Portugal.
£2.55m Fundraiser Launched for Emergency Move
Pinto’s GoFundMe campaign carries a €3 million target, with the money intended to finance his relocation and security needs.
He said he planned to move to an undisclosed location for an indefinite period because of what he described as the risks created by the withdrawal of state protection.
The fundraiser had attracted hundreds of donors but remained far below its target in its early stages. The GoFundMe page currently lists €13,921 raised from 664 donations against the €3 million goal.
His Cooperation With Portuguese Authorities Was Central to Protection
Pinto has been under the country’s witness protection programme since August 2020.
His protection followed an agreement under which he cooperated with Portuguese authorities and provided access to material from his Football Leaks archive.
His lawyers have argued that this cooperation, together with the continuing legal proceedings arising from his disclosures, justified maintaining his protection.
They have called on Portugal’s Ministry of Justice to reconsider the decision.
Pinto Has Also Faced Criminal Proceedings
Pinto’s status as a whistleblower has existed alongside his own criminal convictions.
He was sentenced by a Portuguese court in 2020 to a four-year suspended prison term after being convicted of illegal access to data and attempted extortion.
Security around his trial was heightened, with Pinto attending proceedings wearing a bulletproof vest because of concerns about his safety.
More recently, however, he was acquitted in 2026 of more than 241 allegations involving unlawful access to email accounts belonging to sporting organisations.
Man City Has Been Found Guilty — But the Case Is Not Over
The developments surrounding Pinto come days after the Premier League formally published the findings of its independent commission into Manchester City.
The commission found the club guilty of all charges relating to serious breaches of the league’s financial rules and most of the charges concerning its cooperation with the investigation.
The findings covered nine seasons between 2009/10 and 2017/18 and included allegations involving commercial agreements, financial reporting and spending rules.
The commission found that City had used agreements described as “sham” contracts and that the arrangements artificially inflated revenue and reduced costs.
Manchester City Has Lodged an Appeal
Manchester City strongly rejects the commission’s findings and has now formally appealed.
The club said its appeal was based on what it described as clear errors of law, principle and fact, while maintaining that it possesses what it calls an “irrefutable” body of evidence supporting its position.
The Premier League has confirmed that the appeal has been lodged with the chair of its Judicial Panel. The appeal hearing will be private and confidential until publication of the outcome is permitted.
Etihad Statements Draw Fresh Attention
The appeal has also brought renewed scrutiny to the financing of some Manchester City sponsorship arrangements.
One issue concerns City’s position that certain commercial contracts were effectively funded by the Abu Dhabi government rather than directly by the club’s owner.
That position has been contrasted with a 2015 statement from Etihad Airways to US authorities in which the airline said it was government-owned but did not receive subsidies from the Abu Dhabi government, describing its financing as a combination of shareholder equity and commercial loans.
The conflicting positions are likely to form part of the continuing debate around the financial evidence at the centre of City’s appeal.
A Decision Could Still Come This Season
The Premier League’s revised appeal procedures set a timetable for the process.
An appeal hearing must take place within 12 weeks of the appeal being lodged, while the appeal board is required to issue its decision within 30 days of the conclusion of the hearing.
The hearing itself can last no more than five days.
That timetable means the outcome could arrive while the current Premier League season is still underway.
Pinto’s Future Remains Uncertain
For Pinto, however, the immediate issue is personal security rather than the continuing football dispute.
His protection is scheduled to end on October 10, leaving him seeking alternative accommodation and security arrangements while his lawyers challenge the decision.
His Football Leaks disclosures remain closely connected to one of the most significant financial investigations in Premier League history, but Manchester City’s appeal means the legal process surrounding the club is not yet complete.
For now, Pinto says he intends to leave Portugal and continue his fight from an undisclosed location, provided he can raise the funds he says are necessary to protect himself.
