Rui Pinto, the Portuguese figure behind the Football Leaks disclosures that shook European football from Lisbon to Paris and Manchester, says he will leave for an undisclosed location after Portugal ended his protected-witness status and withdrew police protection.
Pinto announced the move in a message published on X on Friday night, saying the Portuguese witness-protection commission informed him on Wednesday that his place in the programme was being terminated. He said the decision left him exposed despite what he described as repeated death threats and a serious risk of an attempt on his life.
“In these circumstances, I have no alternative but to move in the coming days to an undisclosed place for an indefinite period,” Pinto wrote. He has also launched a fundraising campaign and appealed for public support.
Lawyers challenge end of protection
Pinto’s legal team confirmed that the protection arrangements had been ended and said they would challenge the decision. They urged Portuguese authorities to reconsider, arguing that numerous court cases arising from the material released through Football Leaks remain unresolved.
The lawyers pointed to the recent ruling by the Premier League’s independent commission in the case involving Manchester City, which faces more than 100 alleged financial-rule breaches. The case is among the major football proceedings linked to issues brought into public view during the Football Leaks era.
A leak that crossed the continent
Football Leaks began in 2015 as a vast release of confidential documents from the European game. The files exposed details of player contracts, transfer dealings and financial arrangements involving clubs, agents and players, prompting investigations in several countries.
Its reach extended across the continent, including scrutiny of Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, and helped bring football’s financial structures under closer legal and regulatory examination.
Pinto has faced criminal proceedings connected to the way he obtained some of the material. In Portugal, he received a four-year suspended prison sentence in 2023 for offences including illegal access to emails and computer systems, as well as attempted extortion.
France also handed him a six-month suspended sentence in 2023 for unlawfully accessing PSG emails. In 2026, however, Pinto was acquitted in a separate Football Leaks-related case in which he had faced 241 charges.
