Man City whistleblower facing 'dire consequence
Rui Pinto, the whistleblower behind Football Leaks, is going into hiding after the Portuguese government terminated his witness protection status. Pinto claims he has received multiple death threats following his role in exposing financial breaches at Manchester City.
Why it matters
The case raises significant questions about the safety of whistleblowers and the intersection of high-stakes sports finance and personal security.
Football whistleblower Rui Pinto says he is going into hiding as he claims death threats have left him fearing assassination.
The work of the Portuguese hacker, creator of the website Football Leaks, featured heavily in the Premier League's case against Manchester City which ultimately led to the club being found guilty by an independent commission of the majority of charges of financial breaches laid against them.
Pinto has been a protected witness since 2020 after agreeing to grant Portuguese authorities access to millions of files acquired before his arrest in Budapest but his lawyers issued a statement on Friday to say Pinto had been informed that his special security status would end on 10 October.
The 37-year-old has claimed that has led him to fear for his life.
Also covering this story
16 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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