Rui Pinto, the Portuguese hacker whose trove of leaked documents triggered the Premier League’s case against Manchester City, said he would go into hiding indefinitely after being told his witness protection would end on Oct. 10 and that he fears for his life.
In a post on social media on Friday, days after the league delivered its guilty verdict against the club, Pinto said he had received “multiple death threats” and would move to an undisclosed location.
Pinto entered Portugal’s witness protection program in 2020 after agreeing to cooperate with the authorities and hand over files obtained through Football Leaks, the platform he founded to publish confidential football documents. The material, which included emails and financial records relating to the English club, helped set off the Premier League’s investigation into City’s affairs, the BBC reported.
The league had charged City with a series of breaches of its financial rules. The club denied wrongdoing throughout the proceedings. The guilty verdict, reached after years of scrutiny, is expected to carry consequences for the club that were yet to be announced.
Portugal’s witness protection program informed Pinto that his participation would be terminated on Oct. 10, a decision he said had placed him in a “life-threatening situation,” according to the BBC. His lawyers told The Guardian they would appeal the decision and described his situation as “critical.”
Pinto, 37, began leaking football documents in 2015. The Football Leaks material exposed hidden dealings across the sport, from player transfers to club finances, and fed investigations in several countries before the Manchester City files became its most consequential disclosure.