Man City whistleblower Pinto to lose witness protection amid death threats

What the report says

Rui Pinto, the Portuguese computer hacker behind Football Leaks and the whistleblower whose documents helped trigger scrutiny of Manchester City, says he will go into hiding after being told his witness protection in Portugal is due to end on October 10. In a post on social media on Friday, Pinto said he had received multiple death threats and feared an assassination attempt, prompting him to seek an undisclosed location for an indefinite period. Al Jazeera reported that his lawyers also warned that ending the security programme could leave him without protected housing and in a vulnerable position.

The article says Pinto has been a protected witness since August 2020, after agreeing to give Portuguese authorities access to millions of files he had gathered before his 2019 arrest. He was later convicted in Portugal on charges including illegally obtaining documents, cybercrimes and attempted extortion, receiving a suspended sentence. His legal team said he had not been given a prior hearing before the protection decision.

The timing is significant because it comes as Manchester City continues to challenge a Premier League commission ruling that found the club guilty of all but one of 115 financial charges covering alleged breaches from 2009 to 2018. City filed an appeal on Friday. Pinto has described the ruling as historic and said the fight over his disclosures will continue.