Football Leaks founder Rui Pinto says Portugal is ending his witness protection, plans relocation

Rui Pinto, the founder of Football Leaks, said on Friday 2 October that he will relocate to an undisclosed location for an indefinite period. In a post on X, he cited multiple death threats and the risk of an assassination attempt, Al Jazeera and the BBC report.

Pinto said his participation in Portugal's witness protection programme is to end on 10 October. He said this places him in a life-threatening situation. His lawyers issued a statement the same day saying the decision leaves him more exposed to risk while legal proceedings stemming from his revelations are still ongoing.

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include any confirmation or comment from Portuguese authorities, and do not describe the reasons for ending the protection. BBC Sport says it has approached Portugal's Commission for the Protection of Victims of Crimes for comment.

Pinto, 37, is a Portuguese computer hacker. He has been in the programme since 2020, after agreeing to co-operate with Portuguese authorities and give them access to Football Leaks files. He was convicted in Portugal of offences including illegally obtaining or accessing data and attempted extortion, and received a suspended sentence. According to the BBC, he was acquitted earlier this year in a second trial on 241 counts of illegally accessing email accounts.

Documents he obtained helped trigger the Premier League investigation into Manchester City. The club was found guilty of breaches of the league's financial rules covering 2009 to 2018 and has appealed.

Pinto has also set up a fundraising campaign, which Al Jazeera says is on GoFundMe.

What is disputed

The two outlets differ on the ruling against Manchester City. Al Jazeera reports the club was found guilty of all but one of 115 charges. The BBC reports it was found guilty of all charges.

What each side says

• Rui Pinto: Al Jazeera quoted his post as saying: "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". He says the Portuguese State knowingly put his life at risk.
• Pinto's lawyers: Their joint statement, as quoted by Al Jazeera, says the decision was taken "without having been given a prior hearing as required by law". It adds: "The threats against him are not merely theoretical; he was assaulted in Lisbon last April."
• Manchester City: The club is appealing to overturn the ruling. The reports do not include any further statement of its position.

Separately, the BBC reports that on Wednesday Pinto criticised Fifa president Gianni Infantino and alleged he intervened to help clubs avoid Uefa sanctions. The reports do not include a response from Infantino or Fifa.

What is not known

The reports do not describe the source or nature of the threats, or any independent verification of them or of the assault cited by the lawyers. They do not say whether any police protection will continue after 10 October.

Analysis

The account so far rests on statements from one side: Pinto's post and his lawyers' statement. A response from Portuguese authorities could confirm, qualify or contradict it, including on whether a hearing was required and whether any police protection will remain. If the protection does end, one question is whether Pinto's relocation would affect his availability in the ongoing proceedings his lawyers refer to; the reports do not address this. The Manchester City appeal is a separate process, and the reports do not describe its grounds or timetable. Each of these could develop in different directions, and none can be assumed.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.