Rui Pinto, the Portuguese hacker who leaked documents that triggered the Premier League’s investigation into Manchester City, is set to be removed from Portugal’s witness protection program despite concerns over threats to his life. Pinto, the founder of Football Leaks, released a trove of confidential football documents, including emails and financial reports, which exposed alleged misconduct by the club.
In 2018, Pinto handed over these documents to the German magazine Der Spiegel, which used them to investigate Manchester City’s potential breaches of financial fair play regulations. Last week, Manchester City was found guilty on all counts related to Premier League financial rules violations spanning from the 2009-10 to the 2017-18 seasons.
After agreeing to cooperate with authorities and provide files obtained during the Football Leaks operation, Pinto was placed in Portugal’s witness protection program in 2020. However, on Friday, he announced that the authorities had decided to remove him from the program as of October 10.
The 37-year-old revealed that due to “numerous death threats” and a “serious risk of assassination,” he has no choice but to relocate to an undisclosed location for an indefinite period.
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