Rui Pinto: Manchester City whistleblower says he is in "life-threatening" danger as witness protection ends

Rui Pinto, the whistleblower whose leaked documents triggered the investigation into Manchester City’s financial dealings, has warned he is in "life-threatening" danger after being told his witness protection is about to end.

The 37-year-old Portuguese hacker announced on X that his participation in the country’s protection scheme will be terminated on 10 October. Pinto said the decision has left him with no choice but to go into hiding at an undisclosed location, citing "multiple death threats" and a "serious risk of an assassination attempt".

His lawyers released a statement on Friday confirming the decision by Portuguese authorities, warning that cutting his protection puts Pinto at extreme risk. They pointed out that many of the legal battles sparked by his "Football Leaks" cache—not least the high-profile case against Manchester City—are still active.

Pinto has been in the witness protection programme since 2020, when he agreed to co-operate with Lisbon authorities and share files obtained through his hacking operations. It was those files, originally published in 2018, that exposed internal emails from Manchester City executives detailing how the club bypassed European and domestic spending rules. Those leaks laid the groundwork for the Premier League’s investigation, which culminated in a guilty verdict against the club last week.

The threat to Pinto’s life is not a new concern. During his first trial in Lisbon in 2020, he had to wear a bulletproof vest in court under heavy police escort. While he views himself as a public-interest whistleblower, his methods have divided opinion. He was previously convicted of illegal data access and attempted extortion, receiving a four-year suspended sentence, though he was recently acquitted of 241 separate counts of hacking sports organisations in Portugal.

With his state funding and security set to vanish, Pinto has launched an online fundraising page to help him "survive this serious situation," which he claims was created by the Portuguese state.

The timing of the decision has also coincided with a renewed offensive from Pinto against the sport’s governing bodies. On Wednesday, he launched a scathing attack on FIFA president Gianni Infantino, calling him a "cancer on football" who should be driven out of the game. Pinto repeated long-standing allegations that Infantino, during his time at UEFA, intervened to help Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain escape serious penalties for violating financial fair play rules.

With Manchester City now facing the prospect of severe sporting sanctions—and rival clubs demanding points deductions and relegation—the man who started it all says he is being left to fend for himself.