Rui Pinto loses witness protection, fears assassination — SkimNews
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- Rui Pinto, the Portuguese hacker behind Football Leaks who shared confidential football documents with Der Spiegel in 2018, is set to lose his participation in Portugal's witness protection programme on 10 October after joining it in 2020.
- Pinto posted on X that the termination put him in a "life-threatening situation," forcing him to relocate to an undisclosed location indefinitely due to "multiple death threats" and "the serious risk of an assassination attempt."
- Manchester City were found guilty last week of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations between 2009-10 and 2017-18, a decision City are appealing.
- Pinto wore a bulletproof vest during his first 2020 trial, was given a four-year suspended sentence for offences including illegal access to data and attempted extortion, and was acquitted of 241 separate counts earlier this year.
- Pinto on Wednesday called FIFA president Gianni Infantino "a cancer on football" and repeated 2018 allegations that Infantino intervened to help City and Paris St-Germain avoid UEFA financial fair play sanctions.
- Pinto's lawyers said the decision left him at heightened risk and noted legal proceedings stemming from the leaks remain ongoing, including the Manchester City case; Pinto has set up a fundraising page, claiming the situation was "created by the Portuguese State."
Why it matters: Pinto's removal from protection comes as legal proceedings tied to Football Leaks—including City's case—are still active, and his lawyers flagged that risk directly. If Pinto can no longer safely cooperate, Portugal's ability to pursue cases stemming from his leaks could be weakened.
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