Manchester City, Etihad Stadium
Manchester City, Etihad Stadium
Rui Pinto who leaked documents uncovering Manchester City's 'sham' payments has claimed that he's been put in a 'life-threatening situation'.
The Portuguese whistleblower obtained files including emails from City employees that have been used in the Premier League's case against the club. He handed these over to media outlets, including German publisher Der Spiegel, which published the exposes in 2018.
In September 2023, Pinto was handed a four-year suspended prison sentence for attempted extortion, illegal data access and breach of correspondence. This activity didn't solely involve City but also other football organisations, but he has maintained that he has acted in the interest of the public to inform them of systemic corruption in the sport.
Portuguese Authorities Terminate Rui Pinto Witness Protection
Rui Pinto
Rui Pinto
Pinto received his sentence from a court in Lisbon after he was extradited from Hungary, where arrested, to Portugal in 2019. He agreed to cooperate with the authorities and, as such, entered Portugal's special witness protection program in August 2020.
The creator of Football Leaks has now given an update on his situation after an independent commission found City guilty of all 115 charges for serious breaches of the Premier League's financial rules. He claimed on X that the Portuguese authorities have ended his protection program:
"On Wednesday, just hours after the verdict officially confirming Manchester City’s guilt, the Commission responsible for Portugal's witness protection programme informed me of its decision to terminate my participation in the programme and withdraw my police protection, thereby knowingly placing me in a life-threatening situation. Given these circumstances, I have no alternative but to relocate, within the next few days, to an undisclosed location for an indefinite period of time, due to the multiple death threats I have received and the serious risk of an assassination attempt against me."
Pinto added: "For this reason, I have just set up a GoFundMe campaign and I am asking for everyone's support to help me survive this serious situation created by the Portuguese State, which, as I have already stated, has knowingly decided to place my life at risk. I would like to take this opportunity to extend a special thanks to everyone who continues to support Football Leaks, and I can give everyone one guarantee: the fight will most certainly continue!"
The 37-year-old is looking to raise €3 million from his GoFundMe page and the fundraiser is titled 'Help save Rui Pinto’s life (Football Leaks whistleblower)'. As of Friday night, he had raised over €6k in an hour after posting the page.
Pinto's Lawyers Call Decision 'Act of Terrorism'
Pinto also shared a press release from his lawyers, Francisco Teixeira da Mota, Luísa Teixeira da Mota, William Bourdon, and Vincent Brengarth, who stressed the danger that their client is now in following the authorities' decision. They noted City's case while referencing a physical attack on the whistleblower:
"His situation is now critical. The threats against him are not merely theoretical; he was assaulted in Lisbon last April. His revelations implicated powerful figures with vast resources, and many resulting legal proceedings are still ongoing, as evidenced by the decision handed down just days ago by the Premier League’s independent commission regarding Manchester City. Abruptly deprived of his protected housing and plunged into a state of extreme precariousness, Rui Pinto would be more vulnerable now than at any time since 2020."
They also confirmed that an "administrative appeal with suspensive effect" would be filed and claimed that they had asked the ministry of Justice to reconsider their decision and "disclose the details of the risk reassessment upon which it is based."
The Etihad Stadium
The Etihad Stadium
They have not received an answer, and they state that the decision and the way it has been taken "constitutes an act of terrorism" which they "can't accept." For Pinto, he deems the Portuguese state to have taken "shameful actions".
Pinto has been sharing his thoughts on the commission's guilty verdicts on social media in recent days. He even released new information claiming that FIFA President Gianni Infantino had already been "aware of financial irregularities involving City."