03/10/2026
Rui Pinto, the man behind the explosive Football Leaks revelations, says he is now seriously concerned about his safety after reportedly losing his protection under Portugal’s witness protection programme.
Pinto became widely known after leaking a huge collection of football documents, including emails and financial records linked to Manchester City, which were published by German magazine Der Spiegel in 2018. Some of that material later became part of the Premier League’s investigation into alleged financial rule breaches by the club.
According to Pinto, Portugal’s Witness Protection Commission told him on September 30 that his participation in the programme would end on October 10. He also says police protection had been withdrawn after authorities assessed the threat to him as low.
The Football Leaks founder has also continued making serious allegations about football’s governing bodies. Last week, he described FIFA president Gianni Infantino as “a cancer to football” and repeated his earlier claims that Infantino intervened in matters involving Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain’s UEFA Financial Fair Play cases. Those allegations remain disputed and should be understood as Pinto’s claims.
Now, Pinto has launched a fundraising campaign with a staggering €3 million target. 💰
He says the money would help him relocate to an undisclosed location and improve his security.
From exposing football’s financial secrets to becoming the subject of an international legal saga, Rui Pinto’s story continues to raise major questions about whistleblowing, football’s finances and the protection of people who expose sensitive information.
[ BBC Sport | The Guardian]
