Rui Pinto, the man behind the Football Leaks website whose disclosures prompted the UEFA and Premier League investigations into Manchester City, has had his protected witness status removed by Portuguese authorities, according to a new report.
Rayan Cherki and the rest of the Manchester City squad will have huge questions for the board.
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The independent commission's finding that Manchester City breached Premier League financial rules across a nine-season period between 2009 and 2018 has dominated football's agenda since Friday last week.
City have responded defiantly, declaring their innocence and committing to a full appeal to a verdict that the Premier League described as the most significant disciplinary decision in English football's history.
The commission found that City arranged sham commercial contracts with a number of their sponsors during the affected period, under which those companies paid only a fraction of the agreed fees while the remainder was funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd. The schemes were found to have artificially inflated the club's revenues and reduced costs by more than £900 million.
Manchester City's commercial partners have begun responding to the independent commission's finding that the club breached the Premier League's financial rules between 2009 and 2018.cityxtra.co.ukPuma Among Man City Sponsors to Respond to Independent Commission Guilty Verdict
Manchester City's commercial partners have begun responding to the independent commission's finding that the club breached the Premier League's financial rules between 2009 and 2018.
What Was Pinto's Role in the Investigation Into Man City?
It was the Football Leaks website Pinto founded that provided confidential documents linked to some of the biggest clubs, players and organisations in world football, information that was passed to the German publication Der Spiegel and its partners in the European Investigative Collaborations network.
It was that reporting which led UEFA to open a separate financial fair play investigation into Manchester City, and which subsequently informed the Premier League's decision to refer City to an independent commission in February 2023.
The commission's verdict, arriving in September 2026, represents the conclusion of a process that traces its origins directly to Pinto's disclosures.
The 37-year-old had been a protected witness in Portugal since 2020, after agreeing to grant Portuguese authorities access to millions of files gathered prior to his arrest.
He was handed a suspended four-year sentence in September 2023 after being found guilty on counts of attempted extortion, illegal access to data and breach of correspondence.
Despite that conviction, he has been widely regarded in some quarters as a significant figure in exposing conduct that regulators subsequently investigated at the highest level.
Portuguese Police Deem Risk to Pinto's Safety to be Low
As reported by Guardian Sport, the removal of Pinto's protected witness status was decided on Wednesday, according to documents seen by the outlet.
Portuguese police have deemed the risk to his safety to be low, despite an assault on Pinto in Lisbon in April - an incident that left him with a bruised eyebrow, following which police were informed though no complaint was filed.
Pinto has also been advised to "exercise caution with family contacts" and to avoid social media as part of the transition out of his protected status.
The whistleblower has been very active on social media in the days last week's guilty verdict emerged, describing it as a "historic decision for English football" and targeting City's executives directly in a separate post, in which he said they had "acted with complete impunity, challenging everyone and everything".
He also accused FIFA president Gianni Infantino of having done "everything in his power" to ensure City and Paris Saint-Germain would only be fined for contravening UEFA's financial fair play rules during his time as general secretary at European football's governing body.
Sources familiar with the case have indicated that full resolution - including the sanctions phase and any appeal by City - may not arrive until 2028 or 2029.
Manchester City face a 2 October deadline to file their formal appeal against the independent commission's verdict.
Enzo Maresca's side return to Premier League action at Anfield against Liverpool on October 11 - three days before a home UEFA Champions League tie against holders Paris Saint-Germain.