Manchester City whistleblower Rui Pinto loses protected witness status

Rui Pinto, the Portuguese man whose huge leaks of confidential documents pushed the Premier League to open an investigation into Manchester City's accounts, no longer has official witness protection in Portugal. The removal of that status was approved on Wednesday, according to official documents seen by this outlet. The 37-year-old founder of Football Leaks had been under that umbrella since 2020, after agreeing to give Portuguese authorities access to millions of files he gathered before his arrest.

• Portuguese authorities removed Rui Pinto's protected witness status on Wednesday.
• Police consider the risk to his safety to be low, despite an assault in Lisbon in April.
• Pinto received a suspended four-year sentence in September 2023 for attempted extortion and illegal data access.
• His leaks underpinned the UEFA and Premier League investigations into Manchester City.
• City was found guilty of 114 financial charges on Tuesday and has until Friday to appeal.

Official protection ends for the Football Leaks founder

The Portuguese police decision ends five years of special status for Pinto. Since agreeing to cooperate with the justice system in his country by providing access to millions of internal documents from clubs, agents and football organisations worldwide, he had held protected witness status that has now disappeared. Authorities have also advised him to exercise caution with family contacts and to stay away from social media.

The police assessment places the risk to his physical safety at a low level. Yet that conclusion sits awkwardly with the incident in April, when Pinto was assaulted in Lisbon and left with a bruised eyebrow. The matter was reported to the police, though no formal complaint was filed.

The conviction that shaped his legal journey

In September 2023, a Portuguese court handed Pinto a suspended four-year prison sentence. He was found guilty of attempted extortion, illegal data access and breach of correspondence. Despite that ruling, many supporters and observers regard him as a hero for exposing millions of confidential documents linked to the biggest clubs, players and organisations in world football.

Among that material was information concerning Manchester City's finances, which reached the German magazine Der Spiegel and its partners in the European Investigative Collaborations network. Those revelations led UEFA and the Premier League to open separate investigations.

What is at stake for Manchester City after the Premier League ruling

City eventually overturned its Champions League ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. But the picture changed dramatically on Tuesday, when the Premier League found the club guilty of 114 charges spanning nine seasons. The accusations included allegedly disguising more than £900m in funding through sham commercial contracts and false accounting. The club has until Friday to lodge an appeal.

Pinto reacts to the historic ruling

Pinto has been extremely active on social media since reports of the City verdict emerged. He described the ruling as a historic decision for English football and took aim at the club's executives, accusing them of acting with complete impunity. In one post he said they had shown a total lack of respect for the rules, for the bodies responsible for overseeing the competition, for the integrity of the tournament, for other clubs and, above all, for the fans. He added that years of cheating, lying and manipulation would finally have consequences.

Years and years of cheating, lying and manipulation will finally have consequences.

The role of Gianni Infantino in UEFA's sanctions

Hours before confirmation of the removal of his protection emerged, Pinto launched a fresh attack, this time against FIFA president Gianni Infantino. He accused him of doing everything in his power during his time as general secretary of European football's governing body to ensure that both City and Paris Saint-Germain would only receive fines for breaching UEFA's FFP rules.